Family: Ericaceae
Origin, Description & Uses
Vaccinium ‘Southern Highbush’ refers to a group of cultivated blueberry hybrids developed primarily from several North American Vaccinium species, including highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) and other southern-adapted relatives. These deciduous to semi-evergreen shrubs typically grow 3–6 feet (1–2 m) tall and produce attractive white to pink, bell-shaped flowers followed by large, sweet blue berries. Southern Highbush blueberries are widely grown for home gardens and commercial fruit production because they require fewer winter chilling hours than traditional northern highbush blueberries. They are also valued as ornamental shrubs, with glossy foliage and colorful fall leaves in cooler climates.
Risks & Threats
Although Southern Highbush blueberries are not known to be naturalized in the Hawaiian Islands, they possess traits that are cause for concern. These cultivars produce abundant fruit that can be dispersed by birds and other wildlife, and some parent Vaccinium species have established outside their native ranges under favorable conditions. While there is currently little evidence that Southern Highbush cultivars are invasive, caution is recommended to ensure that they will not negatively impact Hawaiʻi. Gardeners should monitor plants for unwanted spread beyond cultivation and consider selecting low-risk or native alternatives when appropriate.
High Risk Traits:
- Broad climate/soil adaptability
- Suited to tropical/subtropical climates
- Widely introduced outside native range
- Naturalized in multiple regions (parent species)
- Congeneric weeds exist
- Produces viable seed
- Self-compatible (self-fertile)
- Can reproduce vegetatively
- Intentionally dispersed by people (widely cultivated)
- Bird-dispersed seeds
- Seeds survive gut passage
- Tolerates pruning/mutilation
Low Risk Traits:
- No evidence of weediness (garden, agricultural, or environmental)
- No spines, thorns, or burrs
- Not allelopathic or parasitic
- Palatable to grazing animals
- Non-toxic to animals and humans
- Not wind- or water-dispersed
