| Author | (L.) de Candolle | |
| Distribution | Statewide, and almost certainly occurring in all 100 counties.
This species has a wide range in the eastern U.S., ranging north to ME and ranging south far into FL and west to eastern TX. However, it is scarce as far west as OH and is not found in states farther to the north or west.
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| Abundance | Locally common in the Coastal Plain, most widespread in the Sandhills. Fairly common to common in the Piedmont and Mountains. | |
| Habitat | This species has such diverse and divergent habitats that it seems that more than one species is involved. In the Coastal Plain it favors pocosins, seepages, edges of bay forests, and other damp, acidic forests. In the eastern Piedmont it also favors wooded streamsides and other damp ground, such as bottomlands. In the western part of the state it can occur in bogs and wet thickets, but it is often numerous on heath balds and other high and rocky woods and exposed ridges. |
| Phenology | Blooms from late April into June; fruits in September and October. | |
| Identification | This is a deciduous shrub growing to 12 feet tall, but usually averages about 6-8 feet tall. It is quite variable in leaf size, though it has standard elliptic leaves that are entire to imperceptibly serrate. Most people will have trouble identifying this species, and thus the conical terminal cluster (panicle) of small globose white flowers (or capsules) will be needed for identification. No other ericaceous species in NC has terminal clusters of flowers in a panicle; others are usually in a narrow raceme or in clusters in leaf axils. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | This is a morphologically variable species. Some authors do not list varieties, though others, such as Weakley (2018), list two varieties – the nominate ligustrina (Mountains, Piedmont, and upper Coastal Plain) and also foliosiflora (Coastal Plain). Some plants in the zone of overlap may not key cleanly to either variety.
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| Other Common Name(s) | He-huckleberry, Male-blueberry | |
| State Rank | S5 | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | FACW link |
| USACE-emp | FACW link |
