What are the 4 berry plants I came upon in Cheaha Wilderness ?

[ednotmilkman]

I posted a couple pictures in the gallery from last weekend, but they have not many views. So may I ask, what 4 berry plants do you think I found last weekend on Pinhoti, Cave Creek and Odum trails that had ripe, to near ripe fruit? I ate lots of two of the types.  I've got photos of three of them. If you want to test your knowledge, look at the photos before you read farther down where the experts give the answers.

One is easy from the photo- I already named it in the caption. One I did not even post a photo of. The others were suprising. One because I only saw one plant in the whole three days. One I had never noticed at all before. I had a guess, which I think is correct, but never knew they grew in Alabama.

[Lesley]

Two of the pictures looked like blueberries: "huckleberries" and the "true blueberries".

"While some Vaccinium species, such as the Red Huckleberry, are always called huckleberries, other species may be called blueberries or huckleberries depending upon local custom. Usually, the distinction between them is that blueberries have numerous tiny seeds, while huckleberries have 10 larger seeds"   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huckleberry

The small pink and green ones looked like unripe wild/native blueberries (which would account for them being smaller). They are usually more tart than their domestic cousins but flavorful. It could also be Juneberry.

The striped round fruit is probably gooseberry.

I'm no expert but that's what I think and would love to be more informed by those who really do "know".

[ednotmilkman]

they did have thorns Jay, so they are currants. huh?  I was calling them gooseberries after looking at some info on a google search! The thorns don't really bother you when walking by or picking because they run much less than 90 degrees to the stem. You can chew on them, but I wouldn't say you fill up on them since you have to pick off both the blossom end and the stem, then after chewing a while, the peeling is still tough so I spit it out.  I could have picked a cupful in maybe 20 minutes in three different spots on Odum or parallel Pinhoti section.

The low blue, huckleberries were plentiful enough that 6 boy scouts could have picked enough for 2 pies in 5 minutes in a dozen spots if they had the pastry and the pastry chef along with them.  Sorry Leslie, but I didn't dissect them before eating to count the seeds !

I bet that bear they saw near here on the Choctawhatchee River in Dale county was heading north to the Pinhoti to get his fill of both of these delicacies.  The 4th berry that I didn't bother with a picture was your basic blackberry. Odd in that I only saw, or felt the briars, of only one cane the whole trip.