Identify by feature
Shrub with blue berries: which one is it?
A shrub with blue, bloomy berries is usually a blackthorn (sloes, on thorny twigs), a highbush blueberry or bilberry, an Oregon grape or a common juniper.
10 species with this feature
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Blackthorn Prunus spinosa
Shrub
Blue sloes with a waxy bloom; astringent, better after frost (sloe gin).
Native
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Bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus
Dwarf shrub
Bluish-black berries with a waxy bloom (5–10 mm) and purple flesh that stains tongue and fingers, July–August.
Native
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Common juniper Juniperus communis
Shrubby conifer
Globular berry-like cones 5–9 mm, green at first, blue-black and bloomy after 2–3 years.
Native
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Bog bilberry Vaccinium uliginosum
Dwarf shrub
Blue berries with a waxy bloom (6–10 mm) and white flesh, July–September; edible but bland.
Native
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Honeyberry Lonicera caerulea
Shrub
Elongated, blue berries with a waxy bloom (1–3 cm), May–June; sweet-sour, a little like blueberries.
Tip: Rub a berry: the blue waxy coating (the bloom) comes off. Sloes are only good after a frost; Oregon grape and juniper can be told by their spiny leaves or needles.