A deciduous, much-branched shrub 1 to 3 ft high, the young wood minutely downy and viscid. Leaves obovate or oval, mostly bluntish at the apex, 1 to 21⁄4 in. long, 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 in. wide, deep green above, paler yellowish beneath with resin-dots on both surfaces. Flowers produced in May in drooping racemes 1 in. or less long, carrying six to eight flowers, each on a thin stalk 1⁄8 to 1⁄4 in. long. Corolla conical, 1⁄5 in. long, narrowed towards the mouth, dull red. Fruits 1⁄4 to 1⁄3 in. diameter, globose, shining black, without bloom.
Native of eastern N. America; introduced in 1772. In the United States it is considered the best of the huckleberries for eating, although said to vary very much in quality in different localities. It is distinguishable from the other deciduous huckleberries by the abundant resinous secretion on twig, leaf, flower-stalk, etc., in combination with the short, dense racemes and glabrous fruits.
f. leucocarpa (Porter) Fern. – Fruits whitish.
f. glaucocarpa (Robins.) Mackenzie – Fruits glaucous.