Vaccinium vitis-idaea

Vaccinium vitis-idaea is a small evergreen shrub in the heath family, Ericaceae. It is known colloquially as the lingonberry, partridgeberry, foxberry, mountain cranberry, or cowberry. It is native to boreal forest and Arctic tundra throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Commercially cultivated in the United States Pacific Northwest and the Netherlands, the edible berries are also picked in the wild and used in various dishes, especially in Nordic cuisine, and among many other cuisines around the world.

Description

A creeping low evergreen shrub. It forms mats. It grows 15 cm high and spreads 0.6-1.2 m wide. The leaves are small and oval. They are 5-20 mm long and 5 mm wide. They are deep green but have black spots underneath. The leaves turn bronze colour in autumn. The flowers are white or pink and bell shaped. They are in clusters. The fruit are bright red and juicy. They are 6-8 mm across. They are edible. There are several named cultivated varieties.

Edible Uses

The fruit is quite pleasant eaten raw and has an acid flavour. It is used like cranberries in preserves and is considered by many to be superior to cranberries. The flavour improves after a frost. Plants occasionally produce two crops in a year. The fruit is about 6mm in diameter. A tea can be made from the leaves, though it should not be drunk regularly as the leaves contain the toxin arbutin.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are used in preserves and pastries and as a sour sauce to accompany meat dishes. The fruit can be cooked with rose-hips and sugar to make jam. They are used for juice and to flavour yoghurt. The leaves are used for a tea drink.

Medicinal Uses

The leaves are antiseptic, astringent, diuretic, and refrigerant, and are gathered in early summer and dried for later use. They are used in the treatment of gonorrhoea, arthritis, rheumatism, diabetes, and diarrhoea. The mature fruits, eaten fresh or dried, serve as a remedy for diarrhoea and as a treatment for sore throats, coughs, and colds. The juice has been gargled as a treatment for sore throats.

Known Hazards

Tea should not be drunk on a regular basis because it contains the toxin 'arbutin'

Distribution

It is a cool temperate plant. They are found in forests near the Arctic. They need acidic soils. A pH of 4.5-5.0 is suitable. It grows on poor dry soil and on peat. It suits hardiness zones 2-8.

Where It Grows

Alaska, Albania, Arctic, Armenia, Asia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Balkans, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, Caucasus, Central Asia, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Europe, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mediterranean, Mongolia, Netherlands, North America, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Scandinavia, Siberia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom, USA, Yugoslavia,

Cultivation

Requires a moist but freely-draining lime free soil, preferring one that is rich in peat or a light loamy soil with added leaf-mould. Prefers a very acid soil with a pH in the range of 4.5 to 6, plants soon become chlorotic when lime is present. Succeeds in full sun or light shade though it fruits better in a sunny position. Requires shelter from strong winds. Dislikes root disturbance, plants are best grown in pots until being planted out in their permanent positions. Sometimes cultivated for its edible fruit, there are some named varieties. 'Koralle' has large and conspicuous berries. The fruit hangs on the plant all winter if it is not picked. The flowers produce a great deal of nectar and are very attractive to bees. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. An evergreen. A clumping mat former. Forming a dense prostrate carpet with a limited spread.

Propagation

Sow seed in late winter in a greenhouse using a lime-free potting mix, barely covering the seed. Stored seed may need up to 3 months of cold stratification. Alternatively, sow fresh seed in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe. When seedlings reach about 5cm tall, prick them out into individual pots and grow on in a lightly shaded greenhouse position for at least their first winter. Plant out into permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Half-ripe cuttings, 5–8cm with a heel, can be taken in August and rooted in a frame, though this is slow and difficult. Layering can be done in late summer or early autumn (though one source suggests spring is preferable) and takes around 18 months. Division of suckers can be carried out in spring or early autumn.

Other Uses

A yellow dye is obtained from the leaves and stems, and a purple dye from the fruit. The plant can be grown as ground cover, spreading by underground runners. It requires weeding for the first year or so, and plants are best spaced about 30cm apart each way.

Production

A mature plant can produce 1 kg of berries.

Other Information

It is popular in Scandinavian countries. It is becoming a commercial cultivated crop.

Notes

They have health benefits.

Dangerous Lookalikes

This plant can be confused with the following toxic species. Always verify identification carefully before consuming any wild plant.

DEADLY

Deadly Nightshade

Atropa belladonna

Joan Simon from Barcelona, España

Safe

Lingonberry

Vaccinium vitis-idaea

(c) Andy Fyon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Andy Fyon

Deadly Nightshade: Tall herbaceous plant (1-2m), single shiny black cherry-sized berries, star-shaped calyx, large oval leaves, sweet but dangerous taste.

Lingonberry: Low woody shrub, berries in clusters with crown/remnant calyx ring, sweet taste.

Nutrition

Also Known As

Airelle rouge, Alpine cranberry, Arandano rojo, Bagole rosse, Brushnitsa, Brusnica, Brusnika, Buoli, çalıçilek, Chervena borovinka, Cowberry, Foxberry, Gravelong, Hong dou yue ju, Kavirlit, Kitngiit, Kronsbeere, Lingon, Mirtillo rosso, Mountain cranberry, Palonka, Passiarkat, Pohl, Poolgas, Preiselbeere, Puola, Puolakka, Rock cranberry, Tunaglit, Tyttebaer, Vossenbes

References (80)

• Abbet, C., et al, 2014, Ethnobotanical survey on wild alpine food plants in Lower and Central Valais (Switzerland). Journal of Ethnopharmacology 151 (2014) 624–634
• Ainana, L. & Zagrebin, I. (Trans. Bland, R. L.),2014, Edible Plants Used by Siberian Yupik Eskimos of Southeastern Chukotka Peninsula, Russia. National Park Service. p 24
• Beckstrom-Sternberg, Stephen M., and James A. Duke. "The Foodplant Database." http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/cgi-bin/browse/foodplantdb.(ACEDB version 4.0 - data version July 1994) (As Vaccinium vitis)
• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 1003
• Bremness, L., 1994, Herbs. Collins Eyewitness Handbooks. Harper Collins. p 134

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