Vaccinium myrtillus or European blueberry is a holarctic species of shrub with edible fruit of blue color, known by the common names bilberry, blaeberry, wimberry, and whortleberry.[2] It is more precisely called common bilberry or blue whortleberry to distinguish it from other Vaccinium relatives.
Vaccinium myrtillus
By Amédée Masclef, published in Atlas des plantes de France, 1891
Vaccinium myrtillus is a small deciduous shrub that grows 4–18 in (10–46 cm) tall. It has light green leaves that turn red in autumn and are simple and alternate in arrangement.[3] Leaves are 0.4–1.2 in (1.0–3.0 cm) long and ovate to lanceolate or broadly elliptic in shape.[3]
Common names
Regional names include blaeberry (Scotland), urts or hurts (Cornwall and Devon),[4]hurtleberry,[5]myrtleberry,[6]wimberry, whinberry, winberry,[7] and fraughan.[8]
The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils on 2–3 millimetres (5⁄64–1⁄8 in) long pedicels. The corolla is pink and shaped like an urn. The leaves are finely toothed and prominently veined on the lower surface.
The fruits will stain hands, teeth and tongue deep blue or purple while eating and so it was traditionally used as a dye for food and clothes in Britain.[12]
Bilberries above Merthyr Tydfil, on Mynydd Aberdâr
Fruit
Vaccinium myrtillus has been used for centuries in traditional medicine, particularly in traditional Austrian medicine as a tea or liqueur in attempts to treat various disorders.[13] Bilberry dietary supplements are marketed in the United States, although there is little evidence these products have any effect on health or diseases.[2]
In cooking, the bilberry fruit is commonly used for pies, tarts and flans, cakes, jams, muffins, cookies, sauces, syrups, juices, and candies.[2]
Leaves
In traditional medicine, bilberry leaves were used mainly for treating skin disorders.[2] Consuming the leaves may be unsafe.[2]
Harvesting
Although bilberries are in high demand by consumers in northern Europe, the berries are harvested in the wild without any cultivation. Some authors state that opportunities exist to improve the crop if cultivated using common agricultural practices.[14][better source needed]
Bilberries have dark red juice that stains hands
Chemistry
Bilberry and the related V. uliginosum both produce lignins, in part because they are used as defensive chemicals.[11] Although many plants change their lignin production – usually to increase it – to handle the stresses of climate change, lignin levels of both Vaccinium species appear to be unaffected.[11]
V. myrtillus contains a high concentration of triterpenes which remain under laboratory research for their possible biological effects.[15]
^ abcde"Bilberry". National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, US National Institutes of Health. 1 August 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
^ abcBidart-Bouzat, M. Gabriela; Imeh-Nathaniel, Adebobola (2008). "Global Change Effects on Plant Chemical Defenses against Insect Herbivores". Journal of Integrative Plant Biology. Wiley Publishing (Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences). 50 (11): 1339–1354. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7909.2008.00751.x. ISSN 1672-9072. PMID 19017122.
^Vogl S, Picker P, Mihaly-Bison J, Fakhrudin N, Atanasov AG, Heiss EH, Wawrosch C, Reznicek G, Dirsch VM, Saukel J, Kopp B (2013-03-25). "Ethnopharmacological in vitro studies on Austria's folk medicine--an unexplored lore in vitro anti-inflammatory activities of 71 Austrian traditional herbal drugs". J Ethnopharmacol. 149 (3): 750–71. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2013.06.007. PMC3791396. PMID 23770053.
^Nestby, Rolf; Percival, D.; Martinussen, Inger S.; Opstad, Nina; Rohloff, Jens (2017-08-08). "The European Blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L .) and the Potential for Cultivation. A Review". Semantic Scholar. S2CID 52997599. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
^Szakiel, Anna; Pączkowski, Cezary; Pensec, Flora; Bertsch, Christophe (2012). "Fruit cuticular waxes as a source of biologically active triterpenoids". Phytochemistry Reviews. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. 11 (2–3): 263–284. doi:10.1007/s11101-012-9241-9. ISSN 1568-7767.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vaccinium myrtillus.
United States Department of Agriculture plants profile- Vaccinium myrtillus
February 04, 2023
vaccinium, myrtillus, european, blueberry, holarctic, species, shrub, with, edible, fruit, blue, color, known, common, names, bilberry, blaeberry, wimberry, whortleberry, more, precisely, called, common, bilberry, blue, whortleberry, distinguish, from, other, . Vaccinium myrtillus or European blueberry is a holarctic species of shrub with edible fruit of blue color known by the common names bilberry blaeberry wimberry and whortleberry 2 It is more precisely called common bilberry or blue whortleberry to distinguish it from other Vaccinium relatives Vaccinium myrtillusBy Amedee Masclef published in Atlas des plantes de France 1891Scientific classificationKingdom PlantaeClade TracheophytesClade AngiospermsClade EudicotsClade AsteridsOrder EricalesFamily EricaceaeGenus VacciniumSubgenus Vaccinium subg VacciniumSection Vaccinium sect MyrtillusSpecies V myrtillusBinomial nameVaccinium myrtillusL 1753Synonyms 1 Myrtillus niger Gilib Myrtillus sylvaticus Drejer Vaccinium oreophilum Rydb Vitis idaea myrtillus L Moench Contents 1 Description 2 Common names 3 Distribution and habitat 4 Uses 4 1 Fruit 4 2 Leaves 5 Harvesting 6 Chemistry 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksDescription EditVaccinium myrtillus is a small deciduous shrub that grows 4 18 in 10 46 cm tall It has light green leaves that turn red in autumn and are simple and alternate in arrangement 3 Leaves are 0 4 1 2 in 1 0 3 0 cm long and ovate to lanceolate or broadly elliptic in shape 3 Common names EditRegional names include blaeberry Scotland urts or hurts Cornwall and Devon 4 hurtleberry 5 myrtleberry 6 wimberry whinberry winberry 7 and fraughan 8 Distribution and habitat EditVaccinium myrtillus is a Holarctic species native to continental Northern Europe the British Isles northern Asia Japan Greenland Iceland western Canada and the Western United States It occurs in the acidic soils of heaths boggy barrens degraded meadows open forests and parklands slopes and moraines 9 10 Bilberry and the related V uliginosum appear to be unaffected by climate change 11 Uses Edit The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils on 2 3 millimetres 5 64 1 8 in long pedicels The corolla is pink and shaped like an urn The leaves are finely toothed and prominently veined on the lower surface The fruits will stain hands teeth and tongue deep blue or purple while eating and so it was traditionally used as a dye for food and clothes in Britain 12 Bilberries above Merthyr Tydfil on Mynydd Aberdar Fruit Edit Vaccinium myrtillus has been used for centuries in traditional medicine particularly in traditional Austrian medicine as a tea or liqueur in attempts to treat various disorders 13 Bilberry dietary supplements are marketed in the United States although there is little evidence these products have any effect on health or diseases 2 In cooking the bilberry fruit is commonly used for pies tarts and flans cakes jams muffins cookies sauces syrups juices and candies 2 Leaves Edit In traditional medicine bilberry leaves were used mainly for treating skin disorders 2 Consuming the leaves may be unsafe 2 Harvesting EditAlthough bilberries are in high demand by consumers in northern Europe the berries are harvested in the wild without any cultivation Some authors state that opportunities exist to improve the crop if cultivated using common agricultural practices 14 better source needed Bilberries have dark red juice that stains handsChemistry EditBilberry and the related V uliginosum both produce lignins in part because they are used as defensive chemicals 11 Although many plants change their lignin production usually to increase it to handle the stresses of climate change lignin levels of both Vaccinium species appear to be unaffected 11 V myrtillus contains a high concentration of triterpenes which remain under laboratory research for their possible biological effects 15 See also EditBlaeberry River Mahonia aquifolium Oregon grape MyrtusReferences Edit Vaccinium myrtillus L The Plant List a b c d e Bilberry National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health US National Institutes of Health 1 August 2020 Retrieved 4 October 2022 a b Vaccinium myrtillus www fs usda gov Retrieved 2022 09 13 Phillipps K C 1993 A Glossary of the Cornish Dialect Padstow Tabb House p 57 ISBN 0 907018 91 2 Vaccinium myrtillus Germplasm Resources Information Network GRIN Agricultural Research Service ARS United States Department of Agriculture USDA Retrieved 12 December 2017 citing Wiersema J H amp B Leon 1999 World economic plants a standard reference and Huxley A ed 1992 The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening Bilberry Blaeberry Whortleberry Whinberry Windberry Myrtle Berry Vaccinium myrtillus Wild Food UK Retrieved 2020 07 31 Henley Jon Bilberries the true taste of northern England The Guardian Monday 9 June 2008 Fraughan is an anglicisation of the Irish word Fraochan or heather fruit as the plant is often found growing with heather tearma ie Vaccinium myrtillus Linnaeus Flora of North America Retrieved 2021 09 21 Vaccinium myrtillus L USDA Plants Database Retrieved 2021 09 21 a b c Bidart Bouzat M Gabriela Imeh Nathaniel Adebobola 2008 Global Change Effects on Plant Chemical Defenses against Insect Herbivores Journal of Integrative Plant Biology Wiley Publishing Institute of Botany the Chinese Academy of Sciences 50 11 1339 1354 doi 10 1111 j 1744 7909 2008 00751 x ISSN 1672 9072 PMID 19017122 Make Traditional Dyes Bilberry Dye Barley Hall York Archaeological Trust Arts Council England and VisitEngland Archived from the original on 2012 04 21 Vogl S Picker P Mihaly Bison J Fakhrudin N Atanasov AG Heiss EH Wawrosch C Reznicek G Dirsch VM Saukel J Kopp B 2013 03 25 Ethnopharmacological in vitro studies on Austria s folk medicine an unexplored lore in vitro anti inflammatory activities of 71 Austrian traditional herbal drugs J Ethnopharmacol 149 3 750 71 doi 10 1016 j jep 2013 06 007 PMC 3791396 PMID 23770053 Nestby Rolf Percival D Martinussen Inger S Opstad Nina Rohloff Jens 2017 08 08 The European Blueberry Vaccinium myrtillus L and the Potential for Cultivation A Review Semantic Scholar S2CID 52997599 Retrieved 2020 05 08 Szakiel Anna Paczkowski Cezary Pensec Flora Bertsch Christophe 2012 Fruit cuticular waxes as a source of biologically active triterpenoids Phytochemistry Reviews Springer Science and Business Media LLC 11 2 3 263 284 doi 10 1007 s11101 012 9241 9 ISSN 1568 7767 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vaccinium myrtillus United States Department of Agriculture plants profile Vaccinium myrtillus Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Vaccinium myrtillus amp oldid 1136181619, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
