Vaccinium oxycoccos
StatusLC
Status systemIUCN3.1
Status 2G5
Status2 systemTNC
GenusVaccinium
ParentVaccinium subg. Oxycoccus
Speciesoxycoccos
AuthorityL. 1753

Vaccinium oxycoccos is a species of cranberry in the heath family. It is known as small cranberry, marshberry, bog cranberry, swamp cranberry,[1] or (particularly in Britain) just cranberry.[2] It occurs broadly across cooler climates in the temperate Northern Hemisphere.

Description

This cranberry is a small, prostrate shrub with vine-like stems that root at the nodes. The evergreen leaves are leathery and lance-shaped, up to 1.2 cm (0.47 in) long.[1][3] The stems are a few centimeters tall, upon which are one to a few nodding flowers with four-petals.[3] The corolla is white or pink and flexed backward away from the center of the flower. The fruit is a pink or red berry[3] which has spots when young. It measures up to 1.2 cm (0.47 in) wide.[4][5] The plant forms mycorrhizal associations. It mainly reproduces vegetatively.[1] Its fruit persists for an average of 200 days, and bears an average of 7 seeds per fruit. Fruits average 86.4% water, and their dry weight includes 4.2% carbohydrates and 1.8% lipids.[6]

Distribution and habitat

Vaccinium oxycoccos is a widespread and common species occurring broadly across cooler climates in the temperate Northern Hemisphere,[1][7][8][9][10] including northern Europe, northern Asia and northern North America.[1]

It is an indicator of moist to wet soils which are low in nitrogen and have a high water table. It is an indicator of coniferous swamps. It grows in bogs and fens in moist forest habitat. It grows on peat which may be saturated most of the time. The soil in bogs is acidic and low in nutrients. The plant's mycorrhizae help it obtain nutrients in this situation. Fens have somewhat less acidic soil, which is also higher in nutrients. The plant can often be found growing on hummocks of Sphagnum mosses.

Ecology

In North America, other species found in this forest understory habitat include leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata), bog rosemary (Andromeda glaucophylla), bog laurel (Kalmia polifolia), pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea), Labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum), cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus), rhodora (Rhododendron canadense), glossy buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula), sundew (Drosera spp.), cottonsedge (Eriophorum virginatum and E. angustifolium), and species of sedge and lichen. The plant easily colonizes bog habitats that have recently been burned. It survives fire with its underground rhizomes.[4][1]

Uses

The berries are edible[11] and have been used both as a medicine and as a food by various Native American communities. Some Iñupiat cook the cranberry with fish eggs and blubber.[12][13]

References

  1. ^
  2. ^ Stace, Clive (2010). New Flora of the British Isles. 3rd ed. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 512. ISBN 978-0-521-70772-5.
  3. ^ Turner, Mark & Kuhlmann, Ellen (2014). Trees & Shrubs of the Pacific Northwest. 1st ed. Portland, OR: Timber Press. p. 182. ISBN 978-1-60469-263-1.
  4. ^
  5. ^
  6. ^ Ehrlén & Eriksson 1991.
  7. ^ "Vaccinium oxycoccos". NatureServe
  8. ^
  9. ^ "Vaccinium oxycoccos L." (in French). Tela Botanica Photos, description, French distribution map.
  10. ^ "Vaccinium oxycoccos L." (in Italian). Schede di botanica Photos and European distribution map.
  11. ^ Benoliel, Doug (2011). Northwest Foraging: The Classic Guide to Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest. Rev. and updated ed. Seattle, WA: Skipstone. pp. 47–48. ISBN 978-1-59485-366-1. OCLC 668195076
  12. ^ Jones, Anore (1983). "Nauriat niginaqtuat (Plants that we eat)". Maniilaq Association Traditional Nutrition Program According to the brief annotation in Anonymous (2003).
  13. ^ Anonymous (2003). "Vaccinium oxycoccos L.". Native American Ethnobotany. Dearborn, MI: University of Michigan-Dearborn. Retrieved 24 May 2023.

Bibliography