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Vaccinium oxycoccos

Common name:	Small Cranberry	Family:	Ericaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	11, 17, 200
Synonyms:	Oxycoccus quadripetala (Gilib.), Oxycoccus palustris (Pers.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to France, Roumania, N. Asia to Japan.
Habitat:	Acid boggy land[17].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	4	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Oxycoccus hagerupii[B,P] Oxycoccus intermedius[B,P] Oxycoccus microcarpos[B,P] Oxycoccus ovalifolius[B,P] Oxycoccus oxycoccos[B,P] Oxycoccus palustris ssp. microphyllus[B,P] Oxycoccus palustris var. intermedius[B,P] Oxycoccus palustris var. ovalifolius[B,P] Oxycoccus quadripetalus[B,G,H,P] Oxycoccus quadripetalus var. microphyllus[B,P] V. hagerupii[H] V. microcarpos[B,P] V. oxycoccos var. intermedium[B,P] V. oxycoccos var. microphyllum[B,P] V. oxycoccos var. ovalifolium[B,P] V. oxycoccus[E,H,HORTIPLEX,Sn2] V. palustre[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Bog Cranberry [FEIS,L], Cranberry [H,E,S,L], Kleine Veenbes [D], Kucuk Cayuzumu [E], Marsh Whortleberry [H], Small Cranberry [P,B,L],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Ericales. Heath family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Turkey Us

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 0.1m by 1m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 2. It is in leaf all year, in flower from June to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 4/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. The plant prefers acid soils and can grow in very acid soil. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist or wet soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Bog Garden, Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, Ground Cover.

Edible Uses

Fruit Tea.

Fruit - raw or cooked[2, 13, 17, 101, 171, 257]. Considered by some to be the most pleasantly-flavoured of British wild fruits[11]. The fruit is high in pectin[172], this means that it can be mixed with fruits that are low in pectin to help them set when making jam[K]. Pectin has also been shown to have a valuable role in the diet, where it is said to protect the body against radiation[201]. An acid taste, the fruits are usually cooked in preserves etc[183, 200]. Although smaller than the related V. macrocarpon, the fruit of this species is considered to be of superior taste[183]. The fruit is about 6mm in diameter[200].
A tea is made from the leaves[13, 257].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antiemetic.

An infusion of the plant has been used to treat cases of slight nausea[257].

Other Uses

Cleanser Dye Ground cover.

The juice of the fruit is used to clean silver[6].
A red dye is obtained from the fruit[13].
Plants can be grown as a ground cover when planted about 1 metre apart each way[208]. Plants rapidly form a dense carpet when they are thriving[208].

Cultivation details

Requires a moist or wet lime free soil, preferring one that is rich in peat or a light loamy soil with added leaf-mould[11, 200]. Prefers a very acid soil with a pH in the range of 4.5 to 6, plants soon become chlorotic when lime is present. Succeeds in full sun or light shade though it fruits better in a sunny position[200]. Requires shelter from strong winds[200].
The fruit often persists on the plant all winter without rotting[200].
Dislikes root disturbance, plants are best grown in pots until being planted out in their permanent positions[200].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow late winter in a greenhouse in a lime-free potting mix and only just cover the seed[78]. Stored seed might require a period of up to 3 months cold stratification[113]. Another report says that it is best to sow the seed in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe[200]. Once they are about 5cm tall, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm with a heel, August in a frame[78]. Slow and difficult.
Layering in late summer or early autumn[78]. Another report says that spring is the best time to layer[200]. Takes 18 months[78].
Division of suckers in spring or early autumn[113].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[S] Illustration from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.

References for Oxycoccus palustris (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for Oxycoccus quadripetalus (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for Vaccinium oxycoccus (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for vaccinium oxycoccos (a possible synonym).

[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures
[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures
[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures
[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures

References for the family Ericaceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data for parts of family Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[6] Mabey. R. Plants with a Purpose. Fontana 1979 ISBN 0-00-635555-2
Details on some of the useful wild plants of Britain. Poor on pictures but otherwise very good.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[13] Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975 ISBN 0-600-33545-3
Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[101] Turner. N. J. and Szczawinski. A. Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences 1978
A very readable guide to some wild foods of Canada.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[201] Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-304-34324-2
A well produced and very readable book.

[208] Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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