whortle bush

plural whortle bushes

1. Any of several shrubs belonging to the genus Vaccinium, bearing fruit known as whortleberries.

   With a short breath of wonder, and a long one of delight, Rose stopped, and sat down by a low whortle-bush, with a pink frill still adorning it.

   1882, Richard Doddridge Blackmore, chapter 4, in Christowell: A Dartmoor Tale, volume 2, London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, page 69

   3 more examples

   The Red Bilberry, or whortle-bush, riseth up like the [Black], having sundry harder Leaves, like the Box-Tree Leaves, green and round pointed standing on the several Branches […]

   1652, Nicholas Culpeper, The English Physitian, London: Peter Cole, page 16

   My course ran along by the foot of the beautiful Quantock Hills, where heavy-wooded coombes are scattered over the broad heathery downs, deep with bracken and whortle-bushes.

   1889, Arthur Conan Doyle, chapter 23, in Micah Clarke

   The bird feigned a broken wing, and Vassilli, falling into the trap, instead of shooting her at once, followed her as she dodged through the whortle bushes.

   1915, Maud Doria Haviland, chapter 9, in A Summer on the Yenisei, London: Edward Arnold, page 193

   Synonyms: whortle, whortleberry bush