Vaccinium macrocarpon (American cranberry)

Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton

Oxycoccus macrocarpus (Aiton) Pursh

American cranberry, cranberry, large cranberry

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Ericales	Tea, persimmon, blueberry, Brazil nut, azalea, many others
Family	Ericaceae	Heath or heather family
Genus	Vaccinium	Ancient Latin name for billberry
Species	macrocarpon	“With large fruits or seedpods”

About plant names...

Cranberries are low, creeping shrubs with a fondness for acidic bogs.

Identification: Cranberries are vine-like, creeping up to 6' (1.8 m) horizontally, but less than 8" (20 cm) high. If you aren’t standing or floating in a bog, you probably aren’t looking at cranberries. Flowers are pale pink or white, about ½" (1.3 cm) long, with four petals that curve strongly backward. Berries are ½-1" (1.3-2.5 cm) in diameter and quite hard, like tiny apples. Leaves are about ½" (1.3 cm) long, oval, shiny on top. See also the small cranberry.

This Vaccinium comparison chart also includes a couple of similar-appearing species that are not Vaccinium.

Edibility: Cranberries are too tart to eat fresh, but they have long been made into jams, cakes, muffins, and juice.

Medical: Several medical studies have explored the folk belief that regular consumption of cranberry juice reduces the rate of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women. Results were mixed.

Online References:

Vaccinium macrocarpon on www.carolinanature.com

Vaccinium macrocarpon on the Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

Vaccinium macrocarpon at the University of Wisconsin's Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium

Vaccinium macrocarpon at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Vaccinium macrocarpon on www.nativeplanttrust.org

Vaccinium macrocarpon on

Vaccinium macrocarpon on www.umass.edu (PDF)

Vaccinium macrocarpon on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

Vaccinium macrocarpon at the Steven Foster Group

No, that’s not a cranberry flower. · 9/16/2016 · Sieur de Monts Botanical Gardens, Bar Harbor, Maine

8/18/2013 · Bemis Road, Townsend, Massachusetts
≈ 6 × 9" (15 × 22 cm)

Vaccinium macrocarpon description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

10/27/2017 · Bemis Road Conservation Area, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 10 × 6" (24 × 16 cm)

10/27/2017 · Bemis Road Conservation Area, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm)

9/1/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain

4/14/2013 · Bemis Rd, Pepperell, Massachusetts ID is uncertain

12/12/2020 · Bemis Road Conservation Area, Pepperell, Massachusetts

8/1/2009 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine
≈ 13 × 9" (33 × 22 cm)

9/1/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain

8/1/2009 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine
≈ 29 × 20" (74 × 49 cm)

9/1/2012 · Bemis Rd Conservation Area, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain

7/5/2017 · Bemis Rd., Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 6 × 4" (16 × 11 cm)

8/18/2013 · Bemis Road, Townsend, Massachusetts
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 15 cm)

Range:

About this map...