Razz Blueberry

Northern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum). Vigorous and robust growth with upright habit, less willowy than sibling 'Bluecrop'. Flowers with distinct creamy coloration (warm creamy white blooms without hint of pink), distinct from siblings 'Bluecrop' and 'Blueray'. Immature foliage with less anthocyanin coloration than siblings. Flowering time similar to 'Bluecrop'. Blooms March-April. Partially self-fertile but benefits from planting two varieties for greater fruit production. Cross-pollinates reliably with other northern highbush, northern lowbush, and most southern highbush varieties. Requires acidic soil (pH 4.5-5.5), moist but well-drained. Full sun to half-day sun. Stunningly showy fall foliage coloring red and orange. Suitable for production in areas where northern highbush is typically grown.

Medium to large berries ripening midseason with very dark berries, almost black when fully ripe. Plump, powdery blue appearance. Excellent flavor with remarkable raspberry overtones - tastes quite like real raspberry, a unique characteristic unlike any other commercial blueberry. Sweet-tart raspberry-like flavor, taste more like wild huckleberry according to some sources. Acceptable firmness similar to 'Blueray' (120-129 g/mm deflection), though too soft for large-scale commercial shipping and storage. Acceptable picking scar. Best picked as it ripens for most intense flavors. Excellent for eating fresh and culinary uses. Good yields of 15-20 pounds per mature bush. Ripens quickly from green to blue in midseason (end of June through first week or two of July in New Jersey).

Rediscovered blueberry with extraordinary history spanning 77 years from breeding to release. Cross made 1934 by Dr. Frederick Vernon Coville (F.V. Coville), USDA's first blueberry breeder: