Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Blue Huckleberry

Gaylussacia frondosa

(L.) Torr. & Gray ex Torr.

Blue Huckleberry

G5Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.138880
Element CodePDERI0G041
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderEricales
FamilyEricaceae
GenusGaylussacia
Synonyms
Gaylussacia frondosa var. frondosa
Other Common Names
blue huckleberry (EN) Dangleberry (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.
Taxonomic Comments
This record is for the narrow treatment of Gaylussacia frondosa, excluding G. nana and G. tomentosa, as treated by Kartesz 1999 and FNA (2009, vol. 8). This treatment is equivalent to the concept of G. frondosa var. frondosa sensu Kartesz (1994).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-05-28
Change Date2000-02-09
Edition Date2024-05-28
Edition AuthorsNordman, C. (2024)
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Blue Huckleberry (Gaylussacia frondosa) occurs in the eastern United States, from South Carolina (and perhaps Georgia) north to Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. Threats to Blue Huckleberry (Gaylussacia frondosa) include loss of habitat as a result of residential development, and competition from invasive exotic plants. It is estimated that there are more than 300 occurrences, including many with good or excellent viability, there are many occurrences on National Forests, National Parks, State Forests, State Parks, State Wildlife Management Areas, and other conservation lands.
Range Extent Comments
Blue Huckleberry (Gaylussacia frondosa) occurs in the eastern United States, from South Carolina (and perhaps Georgia) north to Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. Range extent was estimated to be 620,000 square kilometers, using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (Flora of North America Editorial Committee 2009, GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, Weakley and Southeastern Flora Team 2023).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are more than 300 occurrences of Blue Huckleberry (Gaylussacia frondosa) rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Threats to Blue Huckleberry (Gaylussacia frondosa) include loss of habitat as a result of residential development, and competition from invasive exotic plants.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Blue Huckleberry (Gaylussacia frondosa) occurs in in deciduous oak-hickory forests and woodlands and pine - mixed hardwoods, and forest edges, roadsides, utility rights-of-way, and also occurs in wet or saturated acidic shrub swamps and pocosins, in streamhead ecotones, mesic to wet pine savannas and flatwoods, at 0-300 m of elevation (Flora of North America Editorial Committee 2009).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - HardwoodForest - ConiferForest - MixedForest EdgeWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - Mixed
Palustrine Habitats
SCRUB-SHRUB WETLANDBog/fen
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
MassachusettsSNRYes
South CarolinaSNRYes
DelawareS4Yes
ConnecticutSNRYes
North CarolinaS5Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
MarylandSNRYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
PennsylvaniaSNRYes
New YorkS4Yes
New HampshireSNRYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
New JerseyS5Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
1.1 - Housing & urban areasSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationSPRING-FLOWERING
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (1)
Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Kelley MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,590
References (6)
  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. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. 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.
  5. Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
  6. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2023. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of April 14, 2023. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2105 pp.