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Dwarf Huckleberry

Gaylussacia dumosa

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in longleaf pine sandhills, pine flatwoods, other dry to moist, acidic forests and woodlands. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

78
Strong

Native to Louisiana (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
1–2 feet
Spread
1–3 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 2 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 25 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

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At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
Late spring
Fruiting season
June to October

Recorded in 4 Louisiana parishes.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Sandhills

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

Pine flatwoods

Flat, sandy Coastal Plain pine woodlands, wetter than sandhills and denser than savannas.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 50 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (17)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of Louisiana

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

28CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA

Genus host records with ranges including LA · Gaylussacia

  • Acrobasis vacciniiCranberry Fruitworm
  • Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • 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
  • Choristoneura obsoletanaObsolete Leafroller
  • Clepsis peritanaGarden Tortrix
Show all 28
  • Cyclophora myrtariaWaxmyrtle Wave
  • Darapsa choerilusAzalea Sphinx
  • Datana drexeliiDrexel's Datana
  • Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Limenitis archippusViceroy
  • Lithacodes fasciolaYellow-Shouldered Slug
  • Megalopyge crispataBlack-Waved Flannel Moth, Crinkled Flannel Moth
  • Melanomma auricinctariaGold-Lined Melanomma
  • Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
  • Prionapteryx nebuliferaClouded Veneer Moth
  • Scopula limboundataLarge Lace-Border
  • Sphinx kalmiaeFawn Sphinx, Laurel Sphinx
  • Strepsicrates smithianaBayberry Leaftier
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Xestia dilucidaDull Reddish Dart, Reddish Heath Dart
  • Zomaria interruptolineanaBroken-Lined Zomaria
  • Tallula atrifascialis
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
6BirdsRecorded eating Gaylussacia in Louisiana

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Louisiana, most records first.

Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab)

Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

1AntsRecorded seed interactions
  • Pogonomyrmex badius

Pogonomyrmex badius: Seed predation.

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

Birds that eat Gaylussacia 6

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Ericaceae
Hardiness
Zones 5a–10a
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
Cream, pink or white
Growth rate
Slow
Growth habit
Spreads by rhizomes
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
June
Fruit ends
October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Louisiana rankSNR
Global rankG5
LA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Growing cautions

  • Spreads by rhizomes. USDA PLANTS lists its growth form as rhizomatous. USDA PLANTS

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources