Vaccinium floribundum

Vaccinium floribundum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Vaccinium
Section: Vaccinium sect. Pyxothamnus
Species:
V. floribundum
Binomial name
Vaccinium floribundum
Kunth 1819
Synonyms
Synonymy
  • Epigynium floribundum Klotzsch
  • Metagonia marginata (Dunal) Nutt.
  • Vaccinium crenulatum Dunal
  • Vaccinium dasygynum S.F. Blake
  • Vaccinium leiandrum S.F.Blake
  • Vaccinium marginatum Dunal
  • Vaccinium moritzianum Klotzsch
  • Vaccinium mortinia Benth.
  • Vaccinium polystachyum Benth.
  • Vaccinium ramosissimum Dunal
  • Vaccinium tatei Rusby
  • Vaccinium thymifolium Klotzsch

Vaccinium floribundum, commonly known as mortiño, pushgay or Andean blueberry, is a South American plant species.

Description

The slender shrub can reach 2–3 metres (6+1⁄2–10 feet) tall or it can be dwarf and prostrate. It has green foliage.

The plant has pink flowers. The round berries are blue to almost blck with a whitish bloom and about 8 millimetres (1⁄4 inch) across.

Distribution and habitat

The species grows in the northern Andes, particularly in Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Bolivia, at elevations from 2,800 to 4,000 metres (9,200 to 13,000 ft).

Uses

The fruit is edible, but sometimes of a low quality in its wild state. It is collected and eaten raw and used in preserves. It is sold at some markets and used in a Ecuadorian dish to celebrate the Day of the Dead.

References

  1. ↑ The Plant List, Vaccinium floribundum Kunth
  2. ↑ "San Marcos Andean Fruits - Presìdi Slow Food". Slow Food Foundation. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  3. 1 2 3 4 National Research Council (U.S.). Advisory Committee on Technology Innovation (1989). Lost Crops of the Incas: Little-Known Plants of the Andes with Promise for Worldwide Cultivation. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. pp. 218–219. ISBN 978-0-309-04264-2.