Vaccinium myrsinites Lamarck. Southern Evergreen Blueberry. Phen: Jan-Apr; May-Jun. Hab: Pine flatwoods. Dist: Ne. SC (Horry County) south to s. peninsular FL, west to s. MS.

ID notes: V. myrsinites is readily distinguished from species other than V. darrowii by the following combination of characteristics: clonal shrub with upright stems usually < 50 cm tall, the young twigs verrucose, leaves evergreen, mostly 5-15 mm long and 2-10 mm wide, lower surface of young leaves with stout glandular hairs. Farther south, it can be difficult to distinguish from the closely related V. darrowii Camp (see key), with which it often co-occurs in their area of overlap.

Origin/Endemic status: Endemic

Taxonomy Comments: Vaccinium myrsinites is a tetraploid species, 4x=48 (Redpath et al. 2022).

Synonymy ⓘ: = Fl5, FNA8, GW2, K1, K3, K4, RAB, WH3, Camp (1945), Luteyn et al (1996), Redpath et al (2022), Vander Kloet (1988); = Cyanococcus myrsinites (Lam.) Small var. myrsinites – S; > Vaccinium nitidum Andrews

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Wetland Indicator Status:

• Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FACU

Heliophily ⓘ: 9