Wild bilberries and cultivated blueberries
are two different plants

Cross-section of an Arctic bilberry

Cross-section of a cultivated blueberry

 

The bilberry which grows wild in the northern forests is smaller in size than the cultivated blueberry. The wild bilberry grows as individual berries along the stems of a 10–40 cm tall shrub. The skin of the bilberry is dark blue, waxy, soft, and it breaks fairly easily. The berry is juicy, and either dark blue or purple on the inside due to its high anthocyanin content.