The Unique Hawaiian "Red Blueberry Ohelo" Originated in Japan: The Pacific Rim Route of the Blueberry Genus

The Unique Hawaiian "Red Blueberry Ohelo" Originated in Japan: The Pacific Rim Route of the Blueberry Genus

2025年11月12日 10:31

1) The Day the Origin of "Not-So-Blue Blueberries" Was Overturned

On November 10 (U.S. time), Phys.org introduced a study revealing that the origin of Hawaii's wild blueberry "Ohelo" is in Northeast Asia, not North America. DNA comparisons showed that the Hawaiian Ohelo is most closely related to Japan's Vaccinium yatabei, highlighting an "unexpected kinship" across the Pacific.Phys.org


Yatabei itself is a shrub distributed in cold regions of Japan and Sakhalin, with a "foundation" for temperate adaptation.Plants of the World Online


2) Seeds Carried by Migratory Birds, Habitats Prepared by Eruptions

The research team estimated that the ancestral population migrated to Hawaii (particularly the older island of Kauai) about 5-7.1 million years ago. It is highly likely that migratory birds ate the berries and transported the seeds through their digestive tracts. The cool, moist environments at high altitudes of the volcanic islands provided a "comfortable" niche for the ancestors, who were originally adapted to cold climates.PubMed


Ohelo is a "tough pioneer" that can grow even on new lava flows, quickly coloring the desolate land right after an eruption. Culturally, it is known as the "food for the Nene (Hawaiian goose)" and is linked to Hawaiian mythology and rituals as the "red blueberry."Phys.org


3) From DNA to "Reverse Dispersal" from Polynesia to North America

The current paper (American Journal of Botany, 2025/10/21 online ahead of print) integrates phylogenetic, ancestral range, divergence date, and network analyses using target capture sequence data from HybSeq. The Hawaiian clade is of Japanese origin and later spread to Southeast Polynesia (V. cereum), where it was confirmed to have a hybrid origin with another lineage. Furthermore, signals suggesting "back-dispersal" from Hawaii to the North American coast and introgression into V. ovalifolium have also been reported.PubMed


4) From "3 Species" to "15-18 Species"? The Shock of Reclassification

Hawaiian Vaccinium has traditionally been classified into **3 species (V. reticulatum / V. dentatum / V. calycinum)**, but preliminary results from specimen and field observations and extensive DNA analysis suggest that there may be 15-18 "substantial species". This could redefine conservation units and priorities, necessitating strategies that do not overlook lineages with small distributions or local adaptations within islands.Phys.org


5) Reactions on Social Media: Academic and Researcher Accounts as Catalysts

While media exposure to the general public has just begun, the Botanical Society of America and related communities have introduced the paper and illustrations on Instagram, promoting sharing with tags like #plantscience #botany. Official reels/posts from the society directly guide to **DOI (10.1002/ajb2.70113), facilitating the spread among researchers and nature enthusiasts.Instagram


In local Texas, articles have emerged highlighting the connection with the Fort Worth Botanic Garden (BRIT)**, visualizing its presence as a "hub" for disseminating the research.Fort Worth Magazine


※As of the time of writing: November 11, 2025 (JST). The Phys.org publication was on November 10. Reactions from general users on social media are expected to increase, with discussions likely to spread from cultural, tourism, and conservation perspectives.Phys.org


6) Why It Matters: Connecting Island Evolution, Culture, and Conservation

  • Evolutionary Biology: Updates the image of diversification (adaptive radiation) on islands with an asymmetric dispersal history of continent → island → "reverse" continent.PubMed

  • Ecology: Empirically reinforces the long-distance effects of **bird dispersal (endozoochory)** on a Pan-Pacific scale.Phys.org

  • Conservation: A policy shift towards conservation of "fine units", considering the unrecognized lineage diversity (15-18).Phys.org

  • Culture: The value of Ohelo as food, ritual, and symbol can be re-narrated along with its phylogenetic history.Wikipedia


7) The Micro of the Research: What Data Revealed

  • Data: Integration of HybSeq panels from Hawaiian and related groups with existing Vaccinium lineage data.

  • Analysis: Combined phylogenetic estimation + ancestral range estimation + fossil-calibrated age estimation + network analysis, examining hybridization history using **discordance between nuclear and chloroplast DNA** as a clue.

  • Key Conclusions: East Asian origin (about 7.1-5.2 Ma), hybrid origin of V. cereum, signal of reverse flow to North America.PubMed


8) Mini Glossary & Background Explanation

  • Ohelo: A group of shrubs common in high-altitude zones of Hawaii. The fruits are diverse in color, such as red, orange, and yellow, and many are not blue despite the name "blueberry." They are also an important food for the Nene.Phys.org

  • V. yatabei (Himeusonoki): A closely related species distributed in the cool temperate zones of Japan (north of central Honshu) and Sakhalin. It emerged as a candidate "sister group" to the Hawaiian species.Plants of the World Online

  • Three Hawaiian Species: V. reticulatum / V. dentatum / V. calycinum. However, detailed analysis suggests further subdivision.Wikipedia


9) Future Discussion Points: Conservation and Rebranding

  1. Taxonomic Reorganization: Urgent need for description and evaluation of undescribed lineages, directly impacting the design of conservation designations and monitoring units.Phys.org

  2. Habitat Protection: Evaluation of resilience to volcanic activity, tourism, and pressure from invasive species.

  3. Cultural Resource Development: Utilizing the story of the "red blueberry" (Japan → Hawaii → Polynesia → North America) for science tourism and educational outreach.PubMed


Reference Article

Hawaiian Blueberries Found to Have Surprising Origins in Northeast Asia
Source: https://phys.org/news/2025-11-hawaiian-blueberries-northeast-asia-discovery.html

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