Blueberries facts

s m

8 years ago

Due to its shade intolerance, it should be grown on wooded or open areas with moist, acidic, well-aerated and organic rich soils. It is restricted to grow on open swamps and bogs, lakeshores and streamside, open woods and high-elevation balds.

Name	Blueberry
Scientific Name	Vaccinium Corymbosum
Native and History	North America also grown in the Southern Hemisphere in Australia, New Zealand, and South American countries. Blueberries were first cultivated in the United States by Elizabeth Coleman White in the Southern New Jersey village of Whitesbog
Common/English Name	American Blueberry, Blueberry, High-Bush Blueberry, Northern Highbush Blueberry, Swamp Blueberry
Name in Other Languages	(Scots) Blaeberry; (Norwegian) Blåbær; (Canada) Airelle En Corymbe (French); (Czech) Borůvka Chocholičnatá; (Eastonian) Kännasmustikas; (Finnish) Pensasmustikka; (French) Airelle D’amérique, Bleuet À Corymbes, Corymbelle, Myrtille D’amérique, Myrtille, Géante; (Danish) Amerikansk Blåbær; (Dutch) Trosveenbes; (German) AmerikanischeBlaubeere, Amerikanische Blueberry, Kultur-Heidelbeere; (Italian) Mirtillo Gigante Americano; (Norwegian) Nordamerikansk Blåbær; (Polish) Borówka Wysoka; (Slovašcina) Ameriška Žlahtna Borovnica; (Spanish) Arándano Americano;(Swedish) Amerikansk Blåbär, Amerikanska Blåbär
Edible Plant Parts and Uses	Fruit: Raw, boiled, stewed, baked, smoke-dried, sun-dried and used like raisinsLeaves: As herbal tea
Plant Growth Habit	Slow-growing, deciduous, monoecious, erect shrub with several stems arising from the bole and growing to 1–3.5 m high
Growing Climate	Slow-growing, deciduous, monoecious, erect shrub with several stems arising from the bole and growing to 1–3.5 m high
Soil	Wet to dry, acid, rocky soils to organic peats
Plant Size	Low-growing plants reaches ten centimeters tall and large shrubs reaches four to five meters in height
Lifespan	Low-growing plants reaches ten centimeters tall and large shrubs reaches four to five meters in height
Root	A shallow root system so it should be planted in a hole at least twice as large as the existing root system and mulched with a 7-10 cm (3-4 inch) layer of organic mulch.
Bark	Shredded bark
Branchlets	Larger branches
Stem	Undersides of the stem may be white-pubescent.
Leaf	Deciduous or evergreen, ovate to elliptical, up to 8 cm (3 inch) long., and 1–8 cm (0.39–3.1 inch) long and 0.5–3.5 cm (0.20–1.4 inch) broad.
Buds	Red, ovoid and pointed
Flower	White, pale pink or red and sometime tinged greenish
Fruit shape & size	Small, bell shaped with a flared crown at the end, around 5-16 millimeters (0.2-0.6 inches) in diameter
Fruit weight	Above half a gram (1 cup of blueberries: 148 gm)
Fruit color	Pale greenish at first, then reddish-purple and finally dark purple when ripened.
Flesh color	Light green, creamy white, gradient white-purple depend upon varities
Flavor/aroma	More astringent and less sweet
Fruit Taste	Tangy semi-sweet and sour
Seed	Many soft, tiny and barely noticeable seeds
Varieties/Types	Lowbush Blueberries, Highbush Blueberries, Rabbiteye Blueberries
Season	Available usually in mid-season (late spring to late summer, peaking in July and August). Can be harvested 3-4 years after planting, but will only reach full production after more than 8 years
Major Nutritions	Nutrient: Protein 1.1 g (2.20%), Total fat 0.49 g (1.40%) Carbohydrate 21.45 g (16.50%) Total dietary fiber 3.6 g (9.47%) Total sugar 14.74 gMinerals: Manganese 0.497 (21.61%) Copper 0.084 mg (9.33%) Iron 0.41 mg (5.13%) Phosphorus 18 mg (2.57%) Potassium 114 mg (2.43%) Zinc 0.24 mg (2.18%) Magnesium 9 mg (2.14%)Vitamins: Vitamin K 28.6 µg (23.83%) Vitamin C 14.4 mg (16.00%) Vitamin B6 0.077 mg (5.92%) Vitamin E 0.84 mg (5.60%) Vitamin B2 0.061 mg (4.69%) Vitamin B1 0.055 m (4.58%) Vitamin B3 0.619 mg (3.87%) Vitamin B5 0.184mg (3.68%) Vitamin B9 9 µg (2.25%) Amino acids: Valine 0.046 g (10.45%) Isoleucine 0.034 g (1.93%) Methionine and Cystine 0.03 g (1.79%) Threonine 0.03 g (1.79%) Leucine 0.065 g (1.76%) Lysine 0.019 g (1.54%) Phenylalanine and Tyrosine 0.051 g (1.53%) Anthocyanidins Cyanidin 12.52 mg Petunidin 46.7 mg Delphinidin 52.4 mg Malvidin 100 mg Peonidin 30 mg Flavan-3-ols (+)-Catechin 7.8 mg (-)-Epigallocatechin 1 mg Flavones Flavonols Kaempferol 2.5 mg Myricetin 1.9 mg Quercetin 11.4 mg Proanthocyanidin Proanthocyanidin dimers 9.5 mg Proanthocyanidin trimers 7.3 mg Proanthocyanidin 4-6mers 30.4 mg Proanthocyanidin 7-10mers 21.2 mg Proanthocyanidin polymers (>10mers) 201.3 mg
Health Benefits	Improves memory power and fight Alzheimer’s disease Reduce blood pressure and arterial stiffness Reduce belly fat, diabetes risk Inhibit cell development of fat cells Treatment for traumatic stress Counteract intestinal diseases Improve cognition Whole antioxidant support Cardiovascular benefits Blood sugar benefits Eye health Anti-cancer benefits
Calories in 1cup (148 g.)	84 Kcal.
It is said that	Native Americans used the plant and its fruit for medicines and food. High bush blueberries are used as a disease resistance. For generations, the berries and leaves are used to treat digestive orders, improve circulation, maintain eye health, and reduce inflammation. For centuries, ancient Greeks and Romans used blueberries to cure diseases related to urinary tract.
Precautions	Blueberry fruit is probably safe when used in amounts commonly found in foods. But not enough known about the safety of the larger amounts used for medicine. Stop using blueberry at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery because it affect blood glucose levels and could interfere with blood sugar control during and after surgery. Blueberry interact with the medications such as glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), and others.diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs). Allergic to stone fruits should avoid blueberry.
How to Eat	Frozen blueberries could be added to your breakfast shake. Cold breakfast cereals could be added fresh or dried blueberries. A delicious elegant dessert could be made by a layer yogurt and blueberries in wine glasses and top with crystallized ginger. It could be eaten fresh or dried them for winter use. Jam could be made with blueberries, sugar, water, and fruit pectin. Blueberry wine is made from the flesh and skin of the low bush berry, which is fermented and then matured.
Other Facts	Maine is the highest blueberry producer in the world. The high amount of antioxidants in blueberries prevents the damage caused by cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s. Studies suggest that women who have a diet rich in anthocyanin which are found in blueberries reduce the chances of heart disease. Studies show that blueberries assist the memory loss and increase circulation which eliminates the progression of degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

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