Box Huckleberry

Gaylussacia brachycera

Native to Kentucky (estimated)

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

Photographs are not available yet.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

38CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY

Genus host records with ranges including KY · Gaylussacia

Acleris curvalanaBlueberry Leaftier Moth
Acrobasis vacciniiCranberry Fruitworm
Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
Anaplectoides prasinaGreen Arches Dart
Antaeotricha leucillanaWell-Marked Leaf Tier, Pale Gray Bird-Dropping Moth
Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
Callophrys augustinusThe Brown Elfin
Callophrys henriciHenry's Elfin
Cameraria hamadryadellaSolitary Oak Leafminer Moth

Show all 38

Choristoneura obsoletanaObsolete Leafroller
Chrysanympha formosaFormosa Looper Moth, Beautiful Looper
Clepsis peritanaGarden Tortrix
Crocigrapha normaniNorman's Quaker
Cyclophora pendulinariaSweetfern Geometer
Darapsa choerilusAzalea Sphinx
Datana drexeliiDrexel's Datana
Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
Limenitis archippusViceroy
Lithacodes fasciolaYellow-Shouldered Slug
Melanomma auricinctariaGold-Lined Melanomma
Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
Olethreutes appendiceumServiceberry Leafroller
Olethreutes permundanaRaspberry Leafroller
Paonias astylusHuckleberry Sphinx
Phyllonorycter diversellaHuckleberry Leafminer
Polia nimbosaStormy Arches
Scopula limboundataLarge Lace-Border
Sphinx gordiusApple Sphinx
Sphinx kalmiaeFawn Sphinx, Laurel Sphinx
Spiramater lutraDarling Mamestra, Splashed Arches, Otter Spiramater, Otter Arches
Strepsicrates smithianaBayberry Leaftier
Synchlora aerataWavy-Lined Emerald, Camouflaged Looper
Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
Xestia dilucidaDull Reddish Dart, Reddish Heath Dart
Zomaria interruptolineanaBroken-Lined Zomaria
Stigmella corylifoliella

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

4BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Gaylussacia

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

3Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Gaylussacia

Andrena bradleyi
Andrena carolina
Colletes validus

Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

11BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Gaylussacia

Acanthis flammeaCommon Redpoll
Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
Catharus ustulatusSwainson's Thrush
Hylocichla mustelinaWood Thrush
Lagopus lagopusWillow Ptarmigan
Loxia leucopteraWhite-winged Crossbill
Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin

Show all 11

Tyrannus tyrannusEastern Kingbird

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Ericaceae
Flower color: White or pink

Growing sources and scope

Flower color · “White or pink” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Height · “Up to about 1.5 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Leaves · “Evergreen” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Light · “Part shade” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Soil · “Dry (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team) · Carolinas and Georgia

Also known as

Box Huckleberry

Conservation status

Kentucky rank	S2S3
Global rank	G3
KY status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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Box Huckleberry

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Plant details

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