Scientific Name:
Vaccinium vitis-idaea
Pronunciation:
vack-SIN-ee-um VYE-tiss-eye-DAY-ee-ah
Common Name:
lingonberry, small cranberry
Family Name:
Ericaceae
Plant Type:
Broadleaf evergreen, Ground cover
Key ID Features:
Low, mat-forming shrub; stems 5-25cm long; leaves: alternate, evergreen, leathery, narrowly elliptic to egg-shaped, 6-15mm long x 2-9mm wide, rounded to shallowly notched at tips, shiny green above, pale with brownish or black stalked glands beneath, margins entire to slightly toothed, somewhat rolled under; nearly unstalked; flowers white to pink, bell-shaped, 4-6mm long, 4-lobed to the middle; calyces deeply lobed; berries, globe-shaped, 6-10mm wide, bright red. E-Flora BC
Habit:
Spreading
Form:
Creeping / Mat-like
Texture:
Fine
Mature Height:
0.1 - 0.2m
Mature Spread:
0.1 - 0.3m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Canada - northern, Europe
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 2: (-46 to -40 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic, Bog
Landscape Uses:
Ground cover, Native planting, Wetland - bogs, Wildlife food
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown may include V. 'Koralle'.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Leathery
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Summer:
Dark-green
Shapes:
Elliptic, Obovate
Apices:
Rounded
Bases:
Cuneate
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers clustered
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Urceolate
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White, Pink
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Jul, Aug
Fruit Type:
Berry (true), Edible
Fruit Colour:
Red
Fruiting Time:
Jun, Jul, Aug
Additional Info:
Showy, Edible, Botanically a false berry due to the inferior ovary (calyx opposite the pedicel like in pomes and the floral tube forms a thin layer of accessory tissue over the exocarp)
Bark Morphology:
Smooth
Bark or Stem Colour:
Brown
Pest Susceptibility:
Caterpillar or cutworm, Mold, Scale insects
