I can't recall off the top of my head when I see it bloom, but I can tell you there IS quite a bit of variation in the leaf, flower and fruit size and fruit color of this plant throughout its range. Most commonly the fruits are blue-black and small, but a number of interesting forms can be found in the wild, especially in Southwest Oregon. So I would say Big Dipper's claims are probably correct, though the difference between a typical plant and a special one may not be what everyone would call 'dramatic'.

Most interesting local variants ones with powdery bloom on fruits making them "blue", in the manner of blue elderberry. Such plants occur sporadically among the typical blackish ones. Not only does this coating make the fruits more ornamental but they are said to taste better. In fact, I have talked to one veteran picker in Olympia who differentiates the two phases as though they were different species, the bloomy ones being 'blueberries' and the normal ones huckleberries.

Online photos of UBC introduction V. ovatum 'Thunderbird' show it with the blue fruits. Bellevue Botanical Garden web site lists a V. 'Wunderlicht' (along with V. ovatum 'Mareen's Select', which would be a MsK Rare Plant nursery introduction). Maybe this is the "wonder variet" you appear to be asking about here.

"selected clones from the best huckleberry populations that exhibit superior landscape and fruiting characteristics" is the same phrase used by Fall Creek nursery on their web site, where they also show and describe V. ovatum 'Thunderbird'. There it appears they are the originators of the "selected clones".

Your best best is probably to visit Big Dipper or another retailer that has bought in some of the Fall Creek selections and look them over, see which ones look good to you.

Today I found some Vaccinium ovatum that were dark purple.... not the berries, the whole plant! A number of these plants were growing alongside the usual green ones with varying shades of red. A genetic trait, stress, or what? I may go back for cuttings.

And I hear that in southwest Oregon, some plants with pink or white fruits can be found.

Thank you for the informative replies. I will definitely have to check out some of the different phases.

And wow, I want a purple Vaccinium ovatum!

Apt to become tinted in winter in an exposed position. Purple ones among green ones in sheltered spot I might wonder about a disorder, such as root rot.

Bloom time in my low-elevation yard in Portland is April. The fruits darken by mid-summer but are not ripe and sweet until September. Robins may take a share.

Your clone sounds interesting, but there may be a wide range of fruit yield year-to-year. This year I picked almost 4 pounds of the tiny berries from two plants in my yard.

The plant occasionally produces seedlings.