Dig into Plants: Rabbiteye Blueberry Bush


Rabbiteye Blueberry

Other Common Names: Smallflower Blueberry, Southern Highbush Blueberry

Scientific Name: Vaccinium virgatum

Native to Alabama: Yes
 
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Learn more about...
 
Basic Information
Classification Button
Maintenance
Adaptations Button
Plant ID
Life Cycle
 
 

   
 
Basic Plant Information
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  • I am a vasuclar plant with woody stems above ground, so I am shrub.
  • I do not keep leaves year-round, so I am deciduous.
  • I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial.
  • I can grow 10-15 feet high and 6-8 feet wide.



 
   
 

















 

  
Ecological Benefits
 
This plant provides food for:
 
Butterflies Caterpillars Other Pollinators
  Brown Elfin    
       
Native Bees Other Birds Small Mammals (and bears)


Other Plants Found in Alabama with Similar Ecological Benefits:
Sparkleberry
(Vaccinium arboreum)
*Host for Striped Hairstreak & Summer Azure		 Highbush Blueberry 
(Vaccinium corymbosum)		 Darrow's Blueberry
(Vaccinium darrowii)
     		       
 
 
 
 
Elliott's Blueberry
(Vaccinium elliottii)		 Black Highbush Blueberry
(Vaccinium fuscatum)		 Shiny Blueberry
(Vaccinium myrsinites)
 
 
 
 
Blue Ridge Blueberry
(Vaccinium pallidum)		 Deerberry
(Vaccinium stamineum)
*Host for Red-spotted Purple		 Small Black Blueberry
(Vaccinium tenellum)
 
 


























 









 

   
Maintenance Notes
  • Dormant in winter.
  • For first three years, prune away damaged or dead branches and spent blooms. Around year 4, start pruning them in late winter or early spring by cutting them back about 1/3 of the distance to the ground and remove branches that impede air flow.
  • The plants' feeder roots are very close to the surface and do not have root hairs; therefore, good soil moisture management and heavy mulches are needed.
  • It requires more than one variety to be planted for proper cross-pollination. Plant different cultivars to extend the berry picking season. 
  • When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds.  Water should reach all roots.
  • Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves.
  • Requires average amount of water.
Average watering: water two times per week during the summer and once per week during the rest of the year.
 

  
Habitat Requirements
 
This plant prefers:
Full Sun
(6+ hours of sun per day)

Part Sun/ Shade
(2-6 hours of sun per day)
   
Prefers average watering
 Well-drained, Sandy, Loamy, Clay, Acidic, or Moist Soil

The ideal pH for blueberries is between 4.0 and 5.0 or 5.5, depending on the cultivar.  Blueberries require a lower soil pH than many other small fruit crops and other plants. Therefore, consider grouping them with other acid-loving plants such as hollies, azaleas, rhododendrons, and camellias. 
 

   
  
Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification
 
LEAF DESCRIPTION
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Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)
       
Shape:
Elliptical		 Margin:
Serrate		 Arrangement:
Alternate		 Form:
Simple
   
Description:
Leaves are less than 1 inch wide and up to 3 inches long; dark green to blue-green; top of leaf can be slightly hairy; underside of leaf has lighter color; leaves turn red and yellow in the fall

   
 
 
 
FLOWER DESCRIPTION
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Flower Shapes Chart (JPG)
       
Color:
White, pink,
green
Shape:
Bell
(Campanulate)
Bloom Months:
Mar-Jun
 
Description:
small (less than 1 inch) flowers grow in clusters and have fused petals, creating bell shape; do not self-pollinate
  
 
SEED DESCRIPTION
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Type:
Fruit -
Berry		 Description:
Fruit is small, round berry that is black- blue when ripe, or pink-white when unripe; less than an inch wide and long; females must have male present to produce berries		 Months in Seed:
Spring, Summer
     
Plant spreads by:
Seeds and suckers
spread via suckers (a sprout or slim branch of new growth at the root or base of the plant) These sprouts are able to put out their own roots and become new plants that are clones, genetically identical to the parent plants
       
 
 
Plant Life Cycle
 
Plant Life Cycle:
  • All plants start life as a seed.
  • The seed turns into a sprout when it grows roots.
  • The sprout becomes a seedling as grows a stem and leaves above the ground.
  • After the seedling becomes an adult plant it will grow flowers.
  • After the flowers finish blooming, each flower turns into a seed.
  • When the seeds fall down to the ground, the plant life cycle starts again.
  • Each seed can become a plant if it has the food, water and space that it needs to grow.
 
General Plant Life Cycle - Dreamstime
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS
 
Quick Fact Sheet
(Condensed Species Info)		 Plant ID Sign:
Ready as-is PDF		 Plant ID Sign:
Editable Word Doc		 QR Code
(Links to this Webpage)



  

INFORMATION SOURCES FOR THIS PLANT
 
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Logo
  
Alabama Plant Atlas Logo
  
Missouri Botanical Gardens Logo 2019
 
  
 



 

 
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