Fruit Warehouse

Fruit Warehouse | Blueberry | Blueberries may be cultivated, or They may be picked from semiwild or wild bushes. In North America, the most common cultivated species is V. corymbosum, the highbush blueberry northern. Hybrids of this with other Vaccinium species adapted to southern U.S. climates are known as southern highbush blueberries Collectively. So-called "wild" (lowbush) blueberries, smaller than cultivated highbush ones, are prized for Their intense color.


Many commercially sold with English common names of species Including "blueberry" are currently classified in section Cyanococcus of the genus Vaccinium and come predominantly from North America. Many North American native species of blueberries are now also commercially grown in the Southern Hemisphere in Australia, New Zealand and South American countries.


Blueberries are perennial Flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium (a genus of the which also includes cranberries and bilberries), with indigo-colored berries. Species in the section are the most common Cyanococcus fruits sold as "blueberries" and are native to North America (commercially cultivated highbush blueberries were not introduced into Europe until the 1930s). In commercial blueberry production, smaller species are known as "lowbush blueberries" (synonymous with "wild"), and the larger species are known as "highbush blueberries".


In some areas, it Produces natural "blueberry barrens", where it is the dominant species covering large areas. Several First Nations communities in Ontario are INVOLVED in harvesting wild blueberries. Lowbush species are fire-tolerant and blueberry production increases Often Following a forest fire, as the plants regenerate rapidly and benefit from removal of competing vegetation. "Wild" has been adopted as a marketing term for harvests of managed native stands of lowbush blueberries.


The most Important blueberry breeding program has been the USDA-ARS breeding program based at Beltsville, Maryland, and Chatsworth, New Jersey. In the early part of the 20th century, White Offered Pineland residents cash for wild blueberry plants with unusually large fruit. 'Rubel', one Such wild blueberry cultivar, is the origin of many of the current hybrid cultivars. The rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium virgatum syn. V. ashei) is a southern type of blueberry produced from the Carolinas to the Gulf Coast states. Other Important species in North America include V. pallidum, the hillside or dryland blueberry.


Although most studies below were conducted using the highbush cultivar of blueberries (V. corymbosum), content of polyphenol antioxidants and anthocyanins in lowbush (wild) blueberries (V. angustifolium) exceeds values found in highbush species. At a 2007 symposium on berry health benefits, reports showed consumption of blueberries (and similar berry fruits Including cranberries) may alleviate the cognitive decline occurring in Alzheimer's disease and other conditions of aging.


Feeding blueberries to animals lowers brain damage in experimental stroke. Research at Rutgers has also shown That blueberries may help Prevent urinary tract infections. Other animal studies found blueberry consumption lowered cholesterol and total blood lipid levels, possibly affecting symptoms of heart disease. Additional research showed That blueberry consumption in rats altered glycosaminoglycans the which are vascular cell components affecting control of blood pressure.