2 minute read
Plant Profile: Bilberry
By ROWAN LANNING
Latin name: Vaccinium myrtillus; Ericaceae family
Irish name: Fraochán
Common names: Bilberry, whortleberry, hurts, heatherberry, blaeberry, wild blueberry, huckleberry, whinberry, fraughan, frochan
Flowers from April to July, Fruits from July to August.
“In Summer a crowd of children gather together. They ramble around the fields picking whortle berries, and black berries.” - Rusheen townland, Kanturk from the National Folklore Collection
This little native shrub may seem unassuming from the outside, growing no higher than 60cm on mountains, moors, heaths, and in acidic soil based woodlands. Pink-red buds emerge in the springtime, followed by drooping pink and white flowers from April to June, so small that they may go unnoticed – but the real star of the show are its flavour packed berries which are ripe for the picking in July and August. Occasionally they may linger until September, but between the hands of humans and the mouths or beaks of animals, few remain come autumn time. This little shrub is known as Fraochán as Gaeilge and boasts many different common names –though Bilberry and Whortleberry seem to be the most prevalent – no matter the name, these tiny berries pack a punch of flavour, host a rich Vitamin C content, and have been used for over 1,000 years in the tradition of European medicine. They create a blue shade of colour as a natural dye, are delicious in jams, wines, and desserts, and were used as an indicator of how well the rest of the crops would fare in later harvests. In Ireland, they were traditionally harvested on the last Sunday in July, often known as ‘Frochan’ Sunday, as well as the first Sunday in August or the festival of Lúnasa, marking the end of the summer and beginning of the harvest season.
