Vaccinium smallii var. smallii ("Obasunoki")

Japanese name: オオバスノキ （大葉酢の木）
Scientific name: Vaccinium smallii var. smallii

[Overview]
A deciduous shrub about 1 m tall, found at forest edges and in shrub thickets in mountains and alpine areas from the upper temperate zone to the subarctic zone.
Young branches are slightly ridged and bear rows of short hairs.
Leaves are simple and alternate, broadly lanceolate to oblong, 1.5–5 cm long and 0.5–2 cm wide, but leaf shape and the amount of hair vary.
The leaf margins have fine hooked serrations.
The leaf stalk is very short.
The leaves taste sour when chewed.
The flowers are borne 1–4 at a time, hanging downward, on racemes 1–2 cm long at the tips of the previous year's branches.
The corolla is reddish yellow-green and bell-shaped, about 0.6–0.7 cm long, with 5 shallow lobes at the tip.
The tips of the lobes curl back.
There are 10 stamens, which do not protrude from the corolla.
The calyx tube has no ridges.
The fruit is a spherical berry 0.6–0.7 cm across, ripening to a glossy black; it is sweet-sour and edible.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
Cuttings are also possible, although the rooting rate is poor.
For seed, wash fully ripe fruit to remove the pulp and sow immediately, or bury the seeds in moist vermiculite or similar so they do not dry out and store them in a cool, dark place; take them out the following spring and wash them thoroughly once more before sowing.
It prefers sun to partial shade without afternoon sun, and well-drained, moderately moist, acidic soil.
Water thoroughly when the soil surface dries.
Apply organic fertilizer in winter, and slow-release fertilizer after flowering as a thank-you fertilizer.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

[Notes]
The name comes from the sour taste of the leaves.

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