Plantae: Magnoliophyta: Magnoliopsida: Ericales: Ericaceae: Vaccinioideae: Vaccinium: Vaccinium angustifolium (Aiton)

The lowbush blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium) are a widely cultivated commercial plant crop with Canada being the largest producer of them. Lowbush blueberries are unique in that growers do not plant them, instead they manage wild stands of them. They differ from highbush blueberries in that they are smaller and are packaged for processing and freezing where highbush are the ones you buy fresh in the grocery store. From mid-June to mid-August, this plant grows into bushes ranging from 30-60cm tall with its roots spanning horizontally across the field in a rhizomatous fashion. Blueberries contain many antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that are essential to preventing common degenerative diseases (i.e. cardiovascular diseases, cancer, Alzheimer’s). Moreover, calorie consumption is minimal so eat as many as you desire to fill up on all the benefits blueberries bring! #Canada150 #Biodiversity150 #TeamBlue

Here’s the barcode sequence information for this species:

Process ID:  FPOON388-16

nucleotide sequence

AAGTGTTGGATTCAAAGCTGGTGTTAAAGAGTACAAATTGACTTATTATACTCCTAACTATGAAACCAAAGATACTGATATCTTGGCAGCATTCCGAGTAACTCCTCAACCGGGAGTTCCACCTGAAGAAGCAGGGGCCGCGGTAGCTGCGGAATCTTCTACTGGTACATGGACATCTGTGTGGACTGATGGACTTACTAGCCTTGATCGTTACAAAGGTCGATGCTACCACATCGAGCCCGTTCCTGGAGACGAAAATCAATTTATTGCTTATGTAGCTTATCCTTTAGACCTTTTTGAAGAAGGTTCAGTTACTAACATGTTTACTTCCATTGTGGGTAATGTTTTTGGGTTCAAAGCCCTGCGGGCTCTACGTCTGGAAGATCTACGAATCCCTGTTGCGTATGTTAAAACTTTCCAAGGACCTCCTCACGGCATCCAAGTTGAAAGAGATAAATTGAACAAGTATGGTCGTCCCTTGTTAGGATGTACTATTAAACCTAAATTGGGGTTATCGGCTAAAAACTATGGGAGAGCTGTTTATGAATGTCTACG

amino acid sequence

SVGFKAGVKEYKLTYYTPNYETKDTDILAAFRVTPQPGVPPEEAGAAVAAESSTGTWTSVWTDGLTSLDRYKGRCYHIEPVPGDENQFIAYVAYPLDLFEEGSVTNMFTSIVGNVFGFKALRALRLEDLRIPVAYVKTFQGPPHGIQVERDKLNKYGRPLLGCTIKPKLGLSAKNYGRAVYECLX

Title Image: Specimen TAH271 – Timmins, Ontario – 01-Aug-2014
Photo Credit: Jose R Maloles, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario