Vaccinium rapae
Skottsb.
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Kenneth R. Wood (NTBG), some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Kenneth R. Wood (NTBG)
Description
A shrub. It grows 40 cm tall. The young branches have small hairs. The leaves have short stalks 1-2 mm long. The leaves are 20-40 mm long by 14-34 mm wide. They are greyish green above and green underneath. There are teeth along the edge. The flowers occur singly in the axils of leaves. The flowers are greenish white. The fruit are dark red to purple. They are 7 mm across.
Edible Uses
The fruit is eaten.
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows on Rapa Island in the Pacific. It is recorded between 75-500 m above sea level. It grows in damp locations.
Where It Grows
French Polynesia, Pacific, Rapa,
Notes
It is an unresolved name in The Plant List.
Dangerous Lookalikes
This plant can be confused with the following toxic species. Always verify identification carefully before consuming any wild plant.
Deadly Nightshade
Atropa belladonna
Joan Simon from Barcelona, España
Vaccinium rapae
Vaccinium rapae
(c) Kenneth R. Wood (NTBG), some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Kenneth R. Wood (NTBG)
Deadly Nightshade: Tall herbaceous plant (1-2m), single shiny black cherry-sized berries, star-shaped calyx, large oval leaves, sweet but dangerous taste.
Vaccinium rapae: Low woody shrub, berries in clusters with crown/remnant calyx ring, sweet taste.
References (2)
- Reis, S. V. and Lipp, F. L., 1982, New Plant Sources for Drugs and Foods from the New York Botanical Garden herbarium. Harvard. p 230
- Skottsberg, C. 1938, Ericaceae and Santalaceae of Southeastern Polynesia. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 14(4) p31
