Bilberry
Bilberries (/ˈbɪlbəri/) or blueberries are primarily Eurasian low-growing shrubs in the genus Vaccinium (family Ericaceae), bearing edible, dark blue berries. The species most often referred to is Vaccinium myrtillus L., but there are several other closely related species.
Etymology and common names
The name "bilberry" appears to have a
The bilberry (especially Vaccinium myrtillus) is generally known as blaeberry /ˈbleɪbɛri/ in Scottish and Northern English regional dialects,[2] and whortleberry /ˈhwɜːrtəbri/ in southern England.[2]
Description and species
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Bilberries —which are native to Europe— are different from North American blueberries, although the species are closely related and belong to the same genus, Vaccinium. Bilberry are non-climacteric fruits with a smooth, circular outline at the end opposite the stalk, whereas blueberries retain persistent sepals there, leaving a rough, star-shaped pattern of five flaps.[3] Bilberries grow singly or in pairs rather than in clusters, as blueberries do, and blueberries have more evergreen leaves. Bilberries are dark in colour, and often appear near black with a slight shade of purple.
Bilberries and blueberries contain diverse anthocyanins, specifically anthocyanidins, including delphinidin and cyanidin glycosides.[4][5] While blueberry fruit pulp is light green, bilberry is red or purple. The high anthocyanin content may cause staining of the fingers, lips, and tongue.[4]
Bilberries include several closely related species of the genus Vaccinium, including:
- Vaccinium myrtillus L. (bilberry)
- Vaccinium uliginosum L. (bog bilberry, bog blueberry, bog whortleberry, bog huckleberry, northern bilberry, ground hurts)
- Vaccinium cespitosum Michx. (dwarf bilberry)
- Vaccinium deliciosum Piper (Cascade bilberry)
- Vaccinium membranaceum (mountain bilberry, black mountain huckleberry, black huckleberry, twin-leaved huckleberry)
- Vaccinium ovalifolium (oval-leafed blueberry, oval-leaved bilberry, mountain blueberry, high-bush blueberry).
These species, with the exception of V. uliginosum, are part of section Myrtillus.[6]
Wild and cultivated harvesting
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Bilberries are found in
In Iceland, bilberries (known as aðalbláber, or "prime blueberry") grow predominantly in Westfjords and the surrounding area. In most of the country, the closely related bláber occupy the same habitat. Both species are commonly found growing with dwarf birch and crowberries. Wild growth is vast compared to the population of Iceland and wild harvesting is legal, and a popular activity in August when the berry season peaks.
In Ireland, the fruit is known as fraughan, from the Irish fraochán, and is traditionally gathered on the last Sunday in July, known as "Fraughan Sunday". Bilberries were also collected at the Celtic festival of Lughnasadh in August, the first traditional harvest festival of the year. The crop of bilberries was said to indicate how well the rest of the crops would fare in their harvests later in the year.
Bilberry is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species (see the list of Lepidoptera that feed on Vaccinium).
Food
The fruits are eaten fresh or made into
Research
One review of low-quality clinical research concluded there was no evidence that consuming bilberries improves night vision.[8] Bilberries have been used in a variety of folklore and traditional medicine, but there are no proven health benefits or anti-disease effects from consuming them.[9]
Diseases
Bilberry plants can suffer from bilberry blight,[10] caused by Phytophthora kernoviae. There have been severe outbreaks in Staffordshire, England.[11]
References
- ^ "Bilberry". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4081-7950-5.
- ISBN 1-877370-40-1.
- ^ PMID 18182842.
- PMID 18072741.
- PMID 21669741.
- ^ sv:Blåbär
- PMID 14711439.
- ^ "Bilberry". National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, US National Institutes of Health. September 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Phytophthora". Natural England. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
- ^ "Disease of Bilberry (Phytophthora)". Staffordshire County Council. Archived from the original on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.