Vaccinium japonicum is a species of deciduous flowering shrub commonly known as the mountain blueberry. They are native to Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and parts of China. They are specifically found in the provinces of Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Zhejiang in China. They are typically found in forests and thickets within alpine areas between 1000 and 2600 metres. This species was once considered a subspecies of the North American species, Vaccinium erythrocarpum; however it has since been split to a full species.
Taxonomy
Vaccinium japonicum has the following accepted subspecies: Vaccinium japonicum var. japonicum – south Korea, Japan Vaccinium japonicum var. lasiostemon Hayata – Taiwan Vaccinium japonicum var. sinicum (Nakai) Rehder – central and southern mainland China