Dwarf Huckleberry

Gaylussacia dumosa

Found in longleaf pine sandhills, pine flatwoods, other dry to moist, acidic forests and woodlands. 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: 1–2 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

Will it fit your yard?

Gaylussacia dumosa — bloom photograph — magnolia1000 · CC BY 2.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

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

Recorded in 31 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 3

Wet pine flatwoods with a shrub layer. Shown: Shaken Creek Preserve, Pender and Onslow Counties, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Wet Pine Flatwoods, Shaken Creek Preserve - typical shrub layer, Robert Thornhill, undated. CC BY 4.0. Source record.

Sandhills

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

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. 123 animals.

Eastern Towhee
Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Eastern Wood-pewee
Contopus virens
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Eurasian Collared-dove
Streptopelia decaocto
Birds. 2 shared habitats
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Green Heron
Butorides virescens
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Hairy Woodpecker
Picoides villosus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Hermit Thrush
Catharus guttatus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Northern Bobwhite
Colinus virginianus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Orchard Oriole
Icterus spurius
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Osprey
Pandion haliaetus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Pileated Woodpecker
Dryocopus pileatus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Pine Siskin
Carduelis pinus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Melanerpes carolinus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Picoides borealis
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Red-headed Woodpecker
Melanerpes erythrocephalus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Regulus calendula
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Archilochus colubris
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Rusty Blackbird
Euphagus carolinus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Savannah Sparrow
Passerculus sandwichensis
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Tufted Titmouse
Baeolophus bicolor
Birds. 2 shared habitats
White-throated Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis
Birds. 2 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

1AntsRecorded seed interactions

Pogonomyrmex badius

Pogonomyrmex badius: Seed predation.

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

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

Bloom · “Late spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Flower color · “Cream, pink or white” · 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 · “June” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Growth habit · “Spreads by rhizomes” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Slow” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Hardiness · “Zones 5a–10a” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “1–2 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; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “1–3 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Conservation status

Virginia rank	S4
Global rank	G5
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

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.

Dwarf 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