VACCINIUM MYRTILLUS: CHARACTERISTICS, HABITAT, PROPERTIES, CARE - BIOLOGY - 2025

Vaccinium myrtillus is a species of deciduous shrub that produces edible berries and belongs to the Ericaceae family. Commonly known as bilberry, bilberry, bilberry, blueberry, obi, black raspano, or mountain grape, it is a plant native to the northern regions of Eurasia and North America.

It is a small, creeping or erect shrub with simple, alternate, lanceolate leaves with serrated margins. The small inflorescences are grouped in axillary racemes, while the fruits are spherical berries of dark blue or black color with a pleasant flavor and aroma.

Vaccinium myrtillus. Source: wind

It is a crop that requires full sun exposure and adapts to a wide range of temperatures, but is susceptible to strong winds. In addition, its superficial root system requires a protective cover with dry leaves or bark that allows it to preserve the humidity of the ground.

The bilberry is part of the group known as fruits of the forest, strawberries or «berries», which produces fruits low in calories and sodium. In addition, they are a source of fibers, proteins, minerals and vitamins, highlighting the high concentration of vitamin C.

In general, the fruits are consumed fresh or processed, being used as an ingredient for desserts, in traditional medicine, dry cleaning and cosmetology. The leaves and fruits are used in traditional medicine for their astringent, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antidiarrheal, antifungal, healing, hypoglycemic and hemostatic effect.

General characteristics

Appearance

It is a low-growing, deciduous shrub with multiple green, angular and creeping branches that can reach one meter in height. The stem is procumbent, radiant, with four marked ribs. It is brown in color, but when it matures it turns grayish.

Leaves

The simple leaves with deciduous habits are alternate, oval and leathery in consistency, presenting a short petiole. The serrated margins have trichomes when young and are light green or yellowish in color, although they go through various shades of red before falling.

flowers

The small flowers are arranged in axillary racemes at the end of a short hanging pedicel. Each flower is made up of five urceolate petals of pinkish tones, five welded petals and ten stamens with appendiculated anthers. Flowering occurs between April and June.

Fruit

The fruit is a spherical berry 6-10 mm in diameter, dark blue or black in color and with a pleasant bittersweet flavor. It is characterized by its smooth skin and juicy pulp that contains 5 rough, umbilicated seeds 1.5 mm long.

The presence and quantity of anthocyanins and waxes on the surface of the fruit determines the color of the fruit during its maturity. The fruiting process, from flowering to fruit ripening, takes 3-4 months, depending on the variety and environmental conditions.

Vaccinium myrtillus flowers. Source: Isidre blanc

Chemical composition

Phytochemical analysis has allowed to determine the presence of vitamins A, B, C and E, fibers, tannins and organic acids (benzoic, malic, succinic and oxalic). As well as certain natural pigments, carotenoids and anthocyanins, sugars, pectins, flavonoids and the minerals calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium and potassium.

Taxonomy

- Kingdom: Plantae

- Division: Magnoliophyta

- Class: Magnoliopsida

- Order: Ericales

- Family: Ericaceae

- Subfamily: Vaccinioideae

- Tribe: Vaccinieae

- Genus: Vaccinium

- Species: Vaccinium myrtillus L.

Etymology

- Vaccinium: the name of the genus derives from the archaic Greek "vakintos" or "hyakintos", which initially meant "blue flower hyacinth". The Latinized term has been used to designate a blue berry, in this case the bilberry berry.

- myrtillus: the specific adjective refers to the Latin diminutive «mirtillo», which means «little hammer».

Leaves and fruits of Vaccinium myrtillus. Source: Robert Flogaus-Faust

Synonymy

- Vaccinium myrtillus var. leucocarpum Hausm. 1852

- Vaccinium myrtillus var. anomalum Rouy 1908

- Vitis-Idaea myrtillus (L.) Moench 1794

- Vaccinium montanum Salisb. 1796

- Vaccinium angulosum Dulac 1867

- Myrtillus sylvatica Drejer 1838

- Myrtillus nigra Gilib.

- M. sylvaticus Drejer

- Vaccinium myrtillus var. minoriflora Sennen & Elías in Sennen.

Habitat and distribution

The species Vaccinium myrtillus is native to the northern regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It currently grows throughout northern Eurasia, western Canada, and the United States, from British Columbia and Oregon to Arizona and New Mexico.

It is an abundant plant in the Russian taiga and in North Asia it is found throughout humid coniferous forests. It is even common in Greenland. In the case of the Iberian Peninsula it is located in the northern region, being a rare species of the central and Iberian system.

Its natural habitat is mountain undergrowths, coniferous forests, scrublands, peat bogs, acid soils or highly decalcified limestone soils. It develops vigorously in mountain areas, at an altitude range between 600 and 2,500 meters above sea level.

Young fruits of Vaccinium myrtillus. Source: pixabay.com

Properties

- Nutritional value per 100 g

- Energy: 42 kcal

- Carbohydrates: 6 g

- Dietary fiber: 5 g

- Fats: 0.6 g

- Proteins: 0.625 g

- Water: 87.8 g

- Retinol (vitamin A): 5.7 μg

- β-carotene: 34.2 μg

- Thiamine (vitamin B ₁): 0.02 mg

- Riboflavin (vitamin B ₂): 0.02 mg

- Niacin (vitamin B ₃): 0.09 mg

- Pyridoxine (vitamin B ₆): 0.06 mg

- Vitamin C: 22 mg

- Vitamin E: 1,921 mg

- Calcium: 10 mg

- Phosphorus: 13 mg

- Iron: 0.74 mg

- Magnesium: 2.4 mg

- Potassium: 78 mg

- Selenium: 0.1 μg

- Sodium: 1 mg

- Zinc: 0.131 mg

Ripe fruits of Vaccinium myrtillus. Source: pixabay.com

- Properties

Bittersweet-flavored fruits are high in vitamin C and can be consumed fresh or processed as jams in desserts and sweets. Among its pharmacological effects, the antioxidant activity exerted by the anthocyanins and glycosides present in the fruits stands out.

Its regular intake contributes to the regeneration of the retina, increases visual acuity and improves microcirculation in general. In addition, it regulates the metabolic activity of carbohydrates and fatty acids, acts as an anti-inflammatory and anti-hemorrhagic agent, thereby improving the body's blood circulation processes.

The cathekic tannins present in the fruits give it an astringent effect, which is why it is used as an antidiarrheal, local hemostatic and antiseptic. Its consumption is indicated for the treatment of hemorrhoids, varicose veins, edema due to venous insufficiency, arteriopathies, retinitis pigmentosa and myopia.

- Other uses

Food

The fruits are eaten fresh due to their juicy, bittersweet and aromatic pulp. They are also used to make preserves, jams and jellies. In the same way, it is used to make wines and brandy or it is consumed dried as "raisins".

Tincture

The presence of "mirtilin" or delphinidin glucoside and anthocyanins such as "mirtidin" gives it blue, lilac or pink pigments. Ripe berries are mixed with other natural ingredients such as alum, oak gall, and cream of tartar to dye the wool blue.

Cosmetology

In the cosmetic industry, the juice of leaves and fruits is used for its astringent, tonic and refreshing action.

Culinary use of Blueberry or Blueberry. Source:

Reproduction

Commercial propagation of bilberry is carried out vegetatively through cuttings. At present, propagation by seed is only done at the research level for the creation and propagation of new varieties.

Propagation by cuttings

The technique consists of the selection of tender cuttings or of woody consistency of more than one year. Each 8-10 cm long cutting must contain at least 4-5 vegetative buds.

It is advisable to make a bevel cut below a bud and remove the basal leaves to reduce their transpiration rate. Also, apply some type of rooting phytohormone such as indole acetic acid (IAA), naphthylacetic acid (ANA) or indole butyric acid (IBA).

The cuttings are planted in rooting beds under greenhouse conditions, constant humidity and an average temperature between 18 and 23 ºC. After rooting, the cuttings are transplanted into polyethylene bags with a fertile substrate and transferred to the nursery with suitable environmental conditions.

Spread

It is the most effective and widely used technique to obtain disease-free plant material, despite its high production cost. Once the plant material has rooted, it is transplanted into polyethylene bags under the same conditions as cuttings. The plants will be ready for transplanting into the field in 1-2 years.

Care

- During the initial phase of the crop, the application of organic fertilizers or chemical fertilizers with high nitrogen content is required to guarantee its establishment.

- From the second year it is advisable to control the weed and protect the superficial roots by covering the stolons with a thin layer of soil.

- This species is resistant to cold, however, it requires a maximum number of direct light, mainly during the flowering and fruiting phases.

- Your irrigation needs are limited. In commercial crops it is recommended to implement drip irrigation.

- During the growth and flowering phases, it is essential to maintain the humidity of the substrate.

- Maintenance pruning tasks are carried out in order to maintain a balanced structure and facilitate handling.

Natural habitat of Vaccinium myrtillus. Source: Arild Vågen

Plagues and diseases

Pests

Mealybugs of the genera Aspidiotus sp. and Pulvinaria sp. it is a group of homopterans that can attack stems, leaves and fruits. The aphids Aphis gossypii and Myzus persicae cause the general weakening of the plant because this pest extracts the sap from the tender tissues.

The larvae of the Lepidopteran Cheimatobia brumata cause economically significant damage to flowers and fruits, as does the dipteran Rhagoletis mendaz. On the other hand, birds tend to eat the fruits and wild hares and rats gnaw on the woody stems.

Diseases

Various pathogenic fungi such as Alternaria sp., Botrytis cinerea, Colletotrichum sp., Septoria sp., Monilia sp. and Phytophthora sp. affect bilberry. These fungi damage the plant under conditions of high humidity and high temperature, causing damage to the foliage and fruits, even death.

References

1. The cultivation of the blueberry (2019) Infoagro Systems, SL Recovered in: infoagro.com
2. Farfán, H. Production possibilities of the blueberry crop (vaccinium myrtillus) under good agricultural practices (GAP) in a farm in the municipality of Villa Pinzón, Cundinamarca. Colombia-Bogotá DC. 2016. University of La Salle; Faculty of agricultural deficiencies. Administration of agricultural companies.
3. Hine-Gómez, A., & Abdelnour-Esquivel, A. (2013). In vitro establishment of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L). Technology in March Magazine, 26 (4), ag-64.
4. Jiménez-Bonilla, V., & Abdelnour-Esquivel, A. (2013). Identification and nutritional value of some native materials of blueberry (Vaccinium spp). Technology on the Move, 4 Vol. 26, No. 2.
5. Portillo, German (2019) Cultivation of blueberries (Vaccinium myrtillus). Gardening On. Recovered in: jardineriaon.com
6. Vaccinium myrtillus. (2019). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Recovered at: es.wikipedia.org
7. Vaccinium. (2019). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Recovered at: es.wikipedia.org
8. Vaccinium myrtillus (Bilberry) (2001) Alternative Medicine Review. Volume 6, Number 5.