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Vaccinium hirsutum

Buckl.

Hairy Blueberry

G4Apparently Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.133998
Element CodePDERI180H0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderEricales
FamilyEricaceae
GenusVaccinium
Other Common Names
hairy blueberry (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodLegacy Rank calculation - Excel v3.1x
Review Date2018-08-07
Change Date2018-08-07
Edition Date2018-08-07
Edition AuthorsD. Gries (1998), rev. Treher (2018)
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent1000-20,000 square km (about 400-8000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 80
Rank Reasons
Vaccinium hirsutum is endemic to the Southern Appalachian Mountains. It is locally abundant, and stable with few threats throughout its range of southwestern North Carolina, southeastern Tennessee, and northern Georgia. Most occurrences are on Forest Service, National Park Service, and state owned lands.
Range Extent Comments
Vaccinium hirsutum is a Southern Appalachian endemic, occurring in a few counties of southwestern North Carolina (Cherokee, Clay and Graham Counties), southeastern Tennessee (Blount, McMinn, Monroe, and Polk Counties), and northern Georgia (Union, Murray, and Dawson Counties) (NatureServe Natural Heritage Network Database as of 2018; SEINet 2018; Weakley 2015).
Occurrences Comments
There are at least 50 occurrences in North Carolina. The exact number of occurrences in Tennessee and Georgia is unknown.
Threat Impact Comments
Most occurrences are on Forest Service or National Park Service Lands and are not impacted by forestry practices. There are no prominent threats to this species.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species occurs on dry oak-pine ridges and mountain meadows and slopes, primarily in Quercus rubra forests (FNA 2009; Weakley 1996).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest - Mixed
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
North CarolinaS3Yes
GeorgiaS2Yes
TennesseeS3Yes
Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL, DECIDUOUS
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (1)
Tennessee (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bald River Gorge AdditionCherokee National Forest1,728
References (3)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2009. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 8. Magnoliophyta: Paeoniaceae to Ericaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. xxiv + 585 pp.
  2. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  3. Weakley, A.S. 1996. Flora of the Carolinas and Virginia: working draft of 23 May 1996. The Nature Conservancy, Southeast Regional Office, Southern Conservation Science Dept., Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Unpaginated.