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What makes the fruit of the bilberry bush such a vibrant colour?
The bilberry grows wild across northern Europe, where its coloured berries are harvested for food and medicine. The plant belongs to the same genus as the North American blueberry, but unlike the pulp of blueberry, which is light green, the bilberry is red or purple. A gene mapping project at Plant & Food Research, funded by Genomics Aotearoa, has revealed much about the berry’s unique pigments, with exciting potential for our horticulture industry.