Black Huckleberry

Gaylussacia baccata

Found in dry, acidic forests and woodlands, rock outcrops, to 1600m elevation. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

Keystone

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height: 1–3 feet
Spread: 2–4 feet
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 3 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 11 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Gaylussacia baccata — fruit photograph — (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Woody perennial
Leaves: Deciduous
Bloom: April to June
Fruiting season: July to August

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Recorded in 100 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 2

Rock outcrop on a mountain summit. Shown: Sassafras Mountain, on the North Carolina and South Carolina line, a neighboring state.Sassafras Mountain rock outcrop, Alan M. Cressler / U.S. Geological Survey, undated. Public domain. Source record. Faithful JPEG display decode of embedded JP2; no AI or color enhancement. Phone derivative resized proportionally.

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 Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 157 animals.

Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
Birds. 15 shared habitats
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Accipiter striatus
Birds. 15 shared habitats
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Birds. 15 shared habitats
Common Nighthawk
Chordeiles minor
Birds. 14 shared habitats
Cooper's Hawk
Accipiter cooperii
Birds. 14 shared habitats
Eastern Kingbird
Tyrannus tyrannus
Birds. 14 shared habitats
Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus
Birds. 14 shared habitats
Yellow-breasted Chat
Icteria virens
Birds. 14 shared habitats
American Goldfinch
Carduelis tristis
Birds. 13 shared habitats
American Kestrel
Falco sparverius
Birds. 13 shared habitats
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Birds. 13 shared habitats
Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
Birds. 13 shared habitats
Common Raven
Corvus corax
Birds. 13 shared habitats
Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis
Birds. 13 shared habitats
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
Birds. 13 shared habitats
Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
Birds. 13 shared habitats
Northern Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
Birds. 13 shared habitats
Pine Siskin
Carduelis pinus
Birds. 13 shared habitats
Purple Finch
Carpodacus purpureus
Birds. 13 shared habitats
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Birds. 13 shared habitats
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Dendroica coronata
Birds. 13 shared habitats
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Birds. 12 shared habitats
Blue Grosbeak
Passerina caerulea
Birds. 12 shared habitats
Cedar Waxwing
Bombycilla cedrorum
Birds. 12 shared habitats

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

45CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Gaylussacia

Acleris curvalanaBlueberry Leaftier Moth
Acleris pulverosana"North American" Hasty Acleris
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

Show all 45

Cameraria hamadryadellaSolitary Oak Leafminer Moth
Choristoneura obsoletanaObsolete Leafroller
Chrysanympha formosaFormosa Looper Moth, Beautiful Looper
Clepsis peritanaGarden Tortrix
Crocigrapha normaniNorman's Quaker
Cyclophora myrtariaWaxmyrtle Wave
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
Megalopyge crispataBlack-Waved Flannel Moth, Crinkled Flannel Moth
Melanomma auricinctariaGold-Lined Melanomma
Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
Nites betulellaBlackdotted Birch Leaftier
Olethreutes appendiceumServiceberry Leafroller
Olethreutes permundanaRaspberry Leafroller
Paonias astylusHuckleberry Sphinx
Polia nimbosaStormy Arches
Prionapteryx nebuliferaClouded Veneer Moth
Psectraglaea carnosaCrimson Sallow
Rheumaptera hastataSpear-Marked Black Moth, Spear Mark
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
Chaetaglaea rhonda
Coleophora gaylussaciella

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)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Ericaceae
Soil pH: Acidic
Flower color: Pink or red
Growth rate: Slow
Growth habit: Several stems
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: July
Fruit ends: August

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

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “April to June” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Pink or red” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “July” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “August” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Growth habit · “Several stems” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Slow” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Height · “1–3 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “2–4 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Conservation status

Virginia rank	S5
Global rank	G5
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

Suckers and forms colonies. Often forms thickets. NC State Extension Plant Toolbox

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

Black Huckleberry

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Growing cautions

Sources

More Gaylussacia