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Vacciniumarboreum Marshall. Farkleberry, Sparkleberry. Phen: Late Apr-Jun; Sep-Oct. Hab: Rocky or sandy woodlands, bluffs, and cliffs, usually xeric and often fire-maintained, and unlike most other Vaccinium, often on mafic, ultramafic, or calcareous rocks. Dist: This species is widely distributed in se. North America, from TX and FL north to MO, IN, KY, and VA.
ID notes:Vaccinium arboreum can be a small tree, to 35 cm DBH and 10 m tall. The leaves are coriaceous and semi-evergreen, often being retained for much or all of the winter, especially in the southern part of our area.
Origin/Endemic status: Endemic
Taxonomy Comments:Vaccinium arboreum is a diploid species (2x=24) (Redpath et al. 2022). Var. glaucescens (Greene) Sargent may be worthy of recognition; it differs from var. arborescens in its subglaucous to conspicuously blue-green (vs. dark green) leaves and the bracts at the base of the pedicels nearly equal in size and shape to the leaves (vs. bracts distinctly smaller and often also different in shape than the leaves).
Synonymy ⓘ: = Ar, C, Fl5, FNA8, G, GrPl, K1, K3, K4, NcTx, RAB, Tn, Va, W, WH3, Camp (1945), Luteyn et al (1996), Redpath et al (2022), Uttal (1987), Vander Kloet (1988); = Batodendronarboreum (Marshall) Nutt. – S; > Vacciniumarboreum Marshall var. arboreum – F, Il, Tx; > Vacciniumarboreum Marshall var. glaucescens (Greene) Sarg. – F, Il, Tx
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Horticultural Information
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Height:15 feet x 15 feet
plant sale text:Farkle?? Yep, this truly American word was first scribed in the 1760s and not even Google knows what it means. That said, the farkleberry shrub is a major understory player in the eastern deciduous forest. Small white flowers in spring arrive with the bright green leaves. They mature into ¼" glossy black fruits. Fall color can be vivid crimson. The bark exfoliates with age, adding that desirable added interest that garden designers go on about. This plant is tough as nails, drought and heat tolerant once established.
