Vaccinium arboreum
Sparkleberry, Farkleberry
Ericaceae
Plant Specifics
Form: | Tree | |
Size: | 6-25 ft tall by 4-15 ft wide | |
Life Span: | Long-lived perennial | |
Flower Color: | White | |
Fruit Color: | Black | |
Phenology: | Deciduous | |
Noted for: | Interesting bark, Fall color, Showy flowers |
Landscaping
Recommended Uses: | A profuse bloomer. Use for natural landscapes and wildlife habitat areas. Does well under a high pine canopy. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Propagation: | Seed and softwood cuttings. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Availability: | Native nurseries, Seed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Light: | Part Shade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Moisture Tolerance: |
always floodedextremely dry |
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(Usually moist, occasional inundation ----- to ----- Very long very dry periods) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Moisture Tolerance: | Usually moist, occasional inundation ----- to ----- Very long very dry periods | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Salt Water Flooding Tolerance: | Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Salt Spray/ Salty Soil Tolerance: | Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Soil or other substrate: | Sand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Soil pH: | Acidic |
Ecology
Wildlife: |
Fruit is consumed by birds and other wildlife. | |
Insects: | Larval host for striped hairstreak (Satyrium liparops). Attracts many pollinators, especially valuable to native bees. | |
Native Habitats: | Dry sites. Xeric hammock, dryf mesic hardwoods, may be in upper edges of floodplains, overgrown flatwoods, coastal dunes, sandhill, scrubby sandhill. |
Distribution and Planting Zones
Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones
Suitable to grow in:
8A 8B 9A 9B

USDA zones are based on minimum winter temperatures
Comments
Ethnobotany: | Fruit not particularly tasty to humans. |