Fauna
Plant · GBIF taxon 9060377

Thinleaf Huckleberry

Vaccinium membranaceum

Also known as Tall Huckleberry, Big Huckleberry, Mountain Huckleberry, Square-Twig Blueberry

Thinleaf huckleberry dominates understories in subalpine forests and burned slopes across mountain ranges of western North America. Single, nodding urn-shaped flowers bloom in spring, producing dark purple fruit that ripens by late summer and serves as a vital nutrition source for foraging bears. These cold-hardy shrubs often spread through underground rhizomes, persisting for decades under mature conifer canopy.

MontaneDeciduousBerry-Bearing
Thinleaf Huckleberry reference1 / 7
Licensed reference(c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
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Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
Diet & prey
  • Autotrophic (Photosynthetic)
Predators
  • Grizzly Bear
  • American Black Bear
  • Mule Deer
ThreatsFire suppression, habitat fragmentation, and climate change
HabitatsSubalpine coniferous forests, mountain slopes, clearings, and burned areas
Life span50–100+ years
Classification
  1. OrderEricales
  2. FamilyEricaceae
  3. GenusVaccinium
  4. SpeciesVaccinium membranaceum
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Wild berries have toxic look-alikes; never eat based on app identification alone.
Responsible observation
  • Spotting In The Wild: Look along subalpine trail edges and mountain clearings where sunlight breaks through conifer canopy.
  • Identifying Features: Check for yellow-green serrated leaves and distinctly angled or square yellowish twigs.
Related species
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