American Cranberry Seeds, Vaccinium macrocarpon

Hardy, Edible Fruits, Fall Colors, Attracts Birds, Wildlife Food/Shelter, Low Growing Ground Cover, Cold Tolerant

The American Cranberry is a low trailing, mat forming, evergreen shrub of bogs. This species is the source of the commercial cranberry. Plants typically grow 12 inches tall with a 3 to 4 foot spread and have small, glossy, leathery dark green leaves to 3/4 inch across, bronzy in spring and dark-green in summer, then turning a variety of colors in fall. Leaves turn bronze in winter. In spring thru summer, the American Cranberry features fuchsia-pink bell-shaped flowers in nodding clusters. The flowers are unique, with four turned-back petals, looking a bit like hats and beak-like stamens. Blooming is followed by edible, round, bright red berries that mature in September thru October. If massed, plants can form a carpet of green foliage. This plant can be grown for the food crop, as an ornamental or both.

Other Names: American Cranberry, Commercial Cranberry

Zone: 2 to 7

Growth Rate: Less than 12 inches annually

Plant Type: Low growing, fruiting ground cover

Family: Ericaceae

Native Range: United States

Height: 0.75 to 1 foot

Spread: 3 to 4 feet

Shape: Low, prostrate mat

Bloom Time: May - June  

Bloom Color: Fuchsia pink

Flower/Fruit: Pinkish white flowers are unique, with four turned-back petals, looking a bit like hats followed by edible bright red cranberries.

Sun: Full Sun

Fall Color: Evergreen to Bronze

Drought Tolerance: Low

Water: Medium to Wet

Maintenance: Low

Site Requirements /Soil Tolerances: Cranberry prefers a cooler climate and moist to wet soil. Best grown in damp, acidic (pH 4.0-5.2), organically rich, well-drained soil in full sun.

Culture: Plant 2 feet apart. Self-pollinating.

Uses: Grow in the fruit or vegetable garden for the food crop. Ornamentally, may be grown as a small scale ground cover for sunny areas or in the shrub or mixed border in front of other acid-loving plants such as azaleas and rhododendrons.