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 the boreal forest and Arctic tundra throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The edible berries are commercially cultivated in the United States and the Netherlands. They are also picked in the wild and used in various cuisines.
Description Vaccinium vitis-idaea spreads by underground stems to form dense clonal colonies. Slender and brittle roots grow from the underground stems. The stems are rounded in cross-section and grow from 10 to 40 cm (4 to 16 in) in height. Leaves grow alternately and are oval, 5–30 mm (1⁄4–1+1⁄8 in) long, with a slightly wavy margin, and sometimes with a notched tip. The flowers are bell-shaped, white to pale pink, 3–8 mm (1⁄8–3⁄8 in) long. V. vitis-idaea begins to produce flowers from five to ten years of age. They are pollinated by multiple insect species, including Andrena lapponica and several species of bumblebee. The fruit is a red berry 6–10 mm (1⁄4–3⁄8 in) across, with an acidic taste, ripening in late summer to autumn. While bitter early in the season, they sweeten if left on the branch through winter. Cytology is 2n = 24. Its fruit persists for an average of 13.4 days, and bears an average of 11.2 seeds per fruit. Fruits average 84.9% water, and their dry weight includes 15.4% carbohydrates and 1.5% lipids.
Related species
Vaccinium vitis-idaea differs from the related cranberries in having white flowers with petals partially enclosing the stamens and stigma, rather than pink flowers with petals reflexed backwards, and rounder, less pear-shaped berries. Vaccinium oxycoccos is similar. Hybrids between V. vitis-idaea and V. myrtillus, named Vaccinium × intermedium Ruthe, are occasionally found in Europe.
Taxonomy
Varieties There are two regional varieties or subspecies of V. vitis-idaea, one in Eurasia and one in North America, differing in leaf size: V. vitis-idaea var. vitis-idaea L.—syn. V. vitis-idaea subsp. vitis-idaea.cowberry. Eurasia. Leaves are 10–30 mm (1⁄2–1+1⁄4 in) long. V. vitis-idaea var. minus Lodd.—syn. V. vitis-idaea subsp. minus (Lodd.) Hultén.lingonberry. North America. Leaves are 5–18 mm (1⁄4–3⁄4 in) long.
Etymology Vaccinium vitis-idaea is most commonly known in English as 'lingonberry' or 'cowberry'. The name 'lingonberry' originates from the Swedish name lingon ([ˈlɪŋɔn] ) for the species deriving from Old Norse lyngr, a cognate (thus also a doublet) to 'ling'. The genus name Vaccinium is a classical Latin name for a plant, possibly the bilberry or hyacinth, and may be derived from the Latin bacca, 'berry'. The specific name is derived from Latin vitis ('vine') and idaea, the feminine form of idaeus (literally 'from Mount Ida', used in reference to raspberries Rubus idaeus). Worldwide, Vaccinium vitis-idaea is known by at least 25 other common English names, including:
Distribution and habitat It is native to boreal forest and Arctic tundra throughout the Northern Hemisphere, including Eurasia and North America.
Ecology Vaccinium vitis-idaea keeps its leaves all winter even in the coldest years, unusual for a broad-leaved plant, though in its natural habitat it is usually protected from severe cold by snow cover. It is extremely hardy, tolerating temperatures as low as −50 °F (−45 °C) or lower, but grows poorly where summers are hot. It prefers some shade (as from a forest canopy) and constantly moist, acidic soil. Nutrient-poor soils are tolerated but not alkaline soils.
Conservation The plant is endangered in Michigan. The minus subspecies is listed as a species of special concern and believed extirpated in Connecticut.
Cultivation Lingonberry has been commercially cultivated in the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Poland, the United States (including the Pacific Northwest) and Latvia since the 1960s. Some cultivars are grown for their ornamental rather than culinary value. In the United Kingdom, the Koralle Group has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Uses
Culinary
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