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Vaccinium uliginosum

Alpine Blueberry · Bog Bilberry · Bog Blueberry

Family EricaceaeGenus Vaccinium

Pink bell flowers hanging from a low wiry stem with small round leaves edged in red, among gray-white lichen.
FlowerKim HansenCC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
subshrub or shrubPlants of the World Online
Habit
Perennial, Shrub, SubshrubPLANTS Database
Height
2.0 ft60 cmPLANTS Database
Flower
PurplePLANTS Database
Blooms
Early SummerPLANTS Database
Native range
Alaska, Albania, Alberta, Aleutian Is., Altay, Amur and elsewhereGBIF Backbone Taxonomy

Growing conditions

Sun
Shade tolerance: MediumPLANTS Database
Soil
Adapted to medium textured soilsPLANTS Database
Soil pH
4.5-5.7PLANTS Database
Moisture
Moisture use: MediumPLANTS Database
Watering
Drought tolerance: LowPLANTS Database

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • The bog bilberry's berries can be eaten raw or cooked, dried for pemmican, or, in Korea, made into an infused liquor, deuljjuk-sul. It grows from sea level in the Arctic up to 3,400 m. Wikipedia: Vaccinium uliginosum

This source reports 5 treatments. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around December 1, 2026 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

about 3 months from start to step 2. Germination happens during step 2, in 35 days.

62% germination in 7–35 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Vaccinium p. 84Public domain
Show the original text
Vaccinium (Ericaceae). With fresh seed light promotes germination but is not essential. The effect of light was eliminated by DS for 6 m in V. uliginosum germ. 70L(10% in 2-4 w), 70 GA-3(5% in 4th w), 70D(none), 40- 70L(62% in 1-5 w), and 40-70D(21% in 1-4 w) using either fresh seed or seed DS 6 m. Seeds DS 1 y germ. 40-70D(12% in 1-3 w), and seeds DS 2 y were dead.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Vaccinium p. 84. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around December 8, 2026 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

about 3 months from start to step 2. Germination happens during step 2, in 28 days.

21% germination in 7–28 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Vaccinium p. 84Public domain
Show the original text
Vaccinium (Ericaceae). With fresh seed light promotes germination but is not essential. The effect of light was eliminated by DS for 6 m in V. uliginosum germ. 70L(10% in 2-4 w), 70 GA-3(5% in 4th w), 70D(none), 40- 70L(62% in 1-5 w), and 40-70D(21% in 1-4 w) using either fresh seed or seed DS 6 m. Seeds DS 1 y germ. 40-70D(12% in 1-3 w), and seeds DS 2 y were dead.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Vaccinium p. 84. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 3

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around December 16, 2026 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on December 15, 2025.

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 365 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  3. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

about 15 months from start to step 3. Germination happens during step 3, in 21 days.

12% germination in 7–21 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Vaccinium p. 84Public domain
Show the original text
Vaccinium (Ericaceae). With fresh seed light promotes germination but is not essential. The effect of light was eliminated by DS for 6 m in V. uliginosum germ. 70L(10% in 2-4 w), 70 GA-3(5% in 4th w), 70D(none), 40- 70L(62% in 1-5 w), and 40-70D(21% in 1-4 w) using either fresh seed or seed DS 6 m. Seeds DS 1 y germ. 40-70D(12% in 1-3 w), and seeds DS 2 y were dead.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Vaccinium p. 84. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 4

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 8, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 28 days to germinate.

10% germination in 14–28 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Vaccinium p. 84Public domain
Show the original text
Vaccinium (Ericaceae). With fresh seed light promotes germination but is not essential. The effect of light was eliminated by DS for 6 m in V. uliginosum germ. 70L(10% in 2-4 w), 70 GA-3(5% in 4th w), 70D(none), 40- 70L(62% in 1-5 w), and 40-70D(21% in 1-4 w) using either fresh seed or seed DS 6 m. Seeds DS 1 y germ. 40-70D(12% in 1-3 w), and seeds DS 2 y were dead.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Vaccinium p. 84. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 5

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Very high Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 8, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Gibberellic acid soak

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 28 days to germinate.

5% germination in 28 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Vaccinium p. 84Public domain
Show the original text
Vaccinium (Ericaceae). With fresh seed light promotes germination but is not essential. The effect of light was eliminated by DS for 6 m in V. uliginosum germ. 70L(10% in 2-4 w), 70 GA-3(5% in 4th w), 70D(none), 40- 70L(62% in 1-5 w), and 40-70D(21% in 1-4 w) using either fresh seed or seed DS 6 m. Seeds DS 1 y germ. 40-70D(12% in 1-3 w), and seeds DS 2 y were dead.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Vaccinium p. 84. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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