Vaccinium shastense subsp. shastense

Shasta huckleberry, Shasta Huckleberry

Family: Ericaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Shasta huckleberry is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native shrub found in the eastern Klamath Ranges in acidic soils, stream banks, conifer forest understory, and rocky crevices at elevations of 320 to 1,225 meters. Flowering from December to May, this plant produces delicate bright to pale pink, greenish, or whitish flowers with a distinctive calyx ring. Growing erect with occasional rhizomatous growth, it forms compact shrubs typically 30 to 100 centimeters tall. Its leaves are typically small and clustered, providing dense foliage that helps the plant thrive in its cool, moist mountain habitats. In rocky forest understories, this huckleberry creates small patches of green with its distinctive clustered growth form and pale blossoms.

Habitat: Acidic soils, stream banks, conifer forest understory, crevices or seeps among rock outcrops, chaparral

Bloom period: Dec-May

Elevation: 320-1225 m

Bioregions: e KR.

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.