 No specimens of box huckleberry had been collected since 1805, and Baird's discovery allowed Asa Gray to classify the species as "Gaylussacia brachycera".The resulting correspondence sparked a lifelong friendship between the two, and helped Baird attain a post at the Smithsonian Institution.The box huckleberry remained largely obscure until 1918, when Frederick V. Coville examined the site.