# We used to call them huckleberries **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 1, 2003, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-used-to-call-them-huckleberries/185534 "2003-07-01T08:03:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-used-to-call-them-huckleberries/185534/1 "2003-07-01T08:03:12Z")
There was this red berry that used to grow around my house in Seattle. We called them huckleberrys. I’ve come to learn these were not real huckleberrys. My wife thought they were red currents but today I saw a red current plant. Not the same. The red current berry looked about the same but our “huckleberries” were more pink in colour. The leaves of our plants were small oval. Anyone know what this is? I’d love to figure it out because they made great tasting pies. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-used-to-call-them-huckleberries/185534/2 "2003-07-01T08:28:10Z")
Well, so long as they’re not dingleberries… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-used-to-call-them-huckleberries/185534/3 "2003-07-01T09:33:59Z")
Redcurrants don’t have oval leaves - they are palmate (like a maple), so it can’t be them. Maybe some species of _Cornus_? ---
**Author:** ![Visual\_Purple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5daacb/32.png) [@Visual\_Purple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Visual_Purple)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-used-to-call-them-huckleberries/185534/4 "2003-07-01T10:31:51Z")
Might it be the amelanchier, also called “serviceberry” or “saskatoon”? The leaves sound about right. Here’s a link to a photo: [http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/shrubs/amelanchier.html](http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/shrubs/amelanchier.html) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-used-to-call-them-huckleberries/185534/5 "2003-07-01T10:41:57Z")
Amelanchier is a tree though, or at least a large bush. **Seven** - roughly how big were the plants? Did the fruits have discernible seeds in them? To what would you compare the flavour? (I consider Amelancier berries (which I’ve always known as June Berries) to be similar to raspberries in flavour). ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-used-to-call-them-huckleberries/185534/6 "2003-07-01T20:58:50Z")
Visual Purple: Those look close, but the berries look too red. Mangetout: The plants were about 6-8 feet tall. Most of the ones around our house were scraggy looking. They grew mostly in shade areas -under large pine trees, maples, things like that. The plants were more of a bush then a vine or a tree. The berries were semi-clear (like how a red current looks), pink in colour. They had tiny seeds in them. So small that when you bit into one you almost didn’t notice they were there. That said, if the berry was more mature it was a tad sour and the seeds were larger. They were small, about the size of a blueberry or again, the red current. As for the taste, I can just remember it. It’s been a long time though. They were very sweet, almost Kool-aid like, with just a slight hint of tartness. I’m sorry, I don’t really know what to compare them too. ---
**Author:** ![Padmaraga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@Padmaraga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padmaraga)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-used-to-call-them-huckleberries/185534/7 "2003-07-01T21:10:53Z")
I’m thinkin’ salmonberries. Just a (S?)WAG. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-used-to-call-them-huckleberries/185534/8 "2003-07-01T22:03:02Z")
Salmonberries are like raspberries though aren’t they (a cluster of drupelets, rather than a single berry). My best guesses so far would be some species of Cornus or Berberis. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-used-to-call-them-huckleberries/185534/9 "2003-07-01T22:14:09Z")
current plant? What was the voltage? ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-used-to-call-them-huckleberries/185534/10 "2003-07-02T00:07:40Z")
I just thought of something. The berries didn’t grow together in a group. They were all spread out all over the bush,… if that helps any. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-used-to-call-them-huckleberries/185534/11 "2003-07-02T00:15:17Z")
Ok. I did a little searching around and found it. It is, in fact, a huckleberry. I think people call different berrys huckleberrys if they don’t know what to call them because the day I was “shown” a huckleberry by a friend it was NOT this plant. Anyway, this is the berry I was thinking of if anyone is interested. It’s the Vaccinium parvifolium. [http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/vparvifolium.htm](http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/vparvifolium.htm) Now I jsut have to find someplace I can buy and plant these little guys. 🙂 Thanks for the help. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-used-to-call-them-huckleberries/185534/12 "2003-07-02T08:00:59Z")
I believe that may also be the identity of somebody else’s ‘name this plant’ query earlier in the week.