| Small Cranberry | |
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Small Cranberry, Marshberry, Vaccinium oxycoccus L. Height: A slender, trailing evergreen with very small thread-like stems that are ascending at the ends. Leaves: Alternate, small, 3-8 mm long, oval or elliptical with a pointed tip, leathery, dark green and shiny above, whitened beneath. The margins are entire and revolute. Flowers: Deep pink, 5-6 mm long, in clusters of 1-4 arising from the ends of the branches. There is no leafy extension beyond the flowers. There are 2 bractlets near or below the middle of the flower stalk. Bloom from June to August. Fruit: Edible berries, 0.5-1 cm in diameter, pale and speckled at first, usually become red when ripe. They are quite variable is shape—subglobose, globose, ovate, and elliptical. Ripen in the fall. Berries over winter are superior in flavor. Habitat: Common in bogs and fens, wet heaths and other damp areas throughout Newfoundland and north to about 56 degrees latitude in Labrador. Source:
Native Trees and Shrubs Used
with permission from
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