Vaccinium fragile Franch.

This is an indicator plant of acid soils.

Shrubs dwarf, evergreen, 20–50(–100) cm tall. Stem base a burl. Twigs angled, sparsely or densely glandular setose and pubescent; bud scales inconspicuous. Leaves rather dense; petiole 1–1.5 mm; leaf blade oblong or elliptic, 1.2–4.5 × 0.7–2.5 cm, leathery, both surfaces setose and pubescent, or sparsely shortly hispid, or subglabrous, secondary veins 2–5 pairs, inconspicuous, base rounded or cuneate, margin plane, serrulate, apex acute, acuminate, or obtuse. Inflorescences racemose, 1.5–6 cm, glandular setose and pubescent, many flowered; bracts usually reddish, leaflike, 4–9 mm, both surfaces strigose, margin denticulate or setose. Pedicel 1–2 mm, hairy. Hypanthium green, tinged with dark red, ca. 1.2 mm, hairy or not; calyx lobes 1–1.2 mm. Corolla white, tinged with pink, with 5 red veins, urceolate, 5–6 mm, glabrous or pubescent; lobes 0.6–1 mm. Filaments ca. 1.5 mm, pubescent; anthers ca. 3 mm, with 2 erect spurs; tubules ca. as long as thecae. Berry 10-pseudoloculed, red, turning dark purple, 4–5 mm in diam., hairy or not.

Guizhou, Sichuan, SE Xizang, Yunnan.

Pinus and Quercus forests, thickets, open grassy slopes; 1100–3400 m.