What are these blue berries? IN, USA

by AerisSpire

9 Comments

  1. BikesSucc

    I’m leaning toward a juniper, but I can’t tell you which species. Pretty sure it’s not the one that’s usually used for gin.

  2. Thy-SoulWeavers

    it is not blueberry it’s a type of juniper. blueberries have deciduous leaves and juniper does not.

  3. AerisSpire

    Guys I promise I know they aren’t blueberries, I just meant berries that are the color blue. 😭

  4. rhipsalis-pilocarpa

    I misread this as “are these blueberries,” and I hope you can appreciate the restraint it took to avoid yes-anding you. (No precise ID but these are juniper berries)

  5. sniperbug17

    Juniper seeds! They are colloquially known as berries, but are actually seeds. The white powder is a natural yeast, and they are fully ripe when they have a dark, blue-black color. They are not safe to consume unripe, though, and even when ripe it’s only in small quantities because of the thujone. Not all species are edible, so I wouldn’t risk it. Juniper trees are generally slow-growing – even the seeds take 18-24 months to ripen!!! Some species take 40 years to reach 14’ tall. This looks like it may be a more shrub like variety.

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