# bog cranberry (*Vaccinium oxycoccos*) The bog cranberry is a small, red fruit that grows in wet, marshy areas. It's tart and delicious, perfect for making jams and sauces! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 1 - **Habitat:** Wetlands ![bog cranberry](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/VacciniumOxycoccos.jpg&width=800) Photo: Christian Fischer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VacciniumOxycoccos.jpg) ## Appearance The bog cranberry is a delicate, low-growing vine with slender, trailing stems. It has tiny, leathery, dark green leaves and unique pink flowers with petals folded back, resembling a tiny bird's head. Its small, round berries ripen to a vibrant red. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Ericales - **Family:** Ericaceae - **Genus:** Vaccinium ## Interesting facts - Ancient cultures used cranberry juice to create vibrant red dyes for coloring fabrics and baskets. - Bog cranberries are super sour, but they actually taste sweeter after the first frost of autumn! - Some bog cranberry vines can live for hundreds of years, slowly spreading across their boggy homes! - The plant's scientific name means 'marsh red-berry', and its flowers look like a tiny crane's head! ## Special abilities - **Acid Survivor:** Bog cranberry can thrive in highly acidic, nutrient-poor bogs where most plants cannot, thanks to specialized root adaptations. - **Winter Warrior:** This hardy plant can survive harsh subarctic winters, often staying green and alive even when buried under snow and ice. - **Waxy Shield:** Bog cranberry has tiny, thick, waxy leaves that help it conserve water and protect against strong winds in exposed bog environments. - **Ground Hugger:** Its long, creeping stems grow close to the ground, allowing it to spread widely and anchor itself firmly in soft, mossy terrain. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 5-20 cm - **Spread:** 50-100 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.5-1 cm - **Bloom Season:** Late spring to early summer - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** American Black Bear (*Ursus americanus*) — eats ripe, tart berries - **Pollinates:** Buff-tailed Bumblebee (*Bombus terrestris*) — visits flowers for nectar - **Eaten by:** [Sandhill Crane](https://www.snappit.app/explore/sandhill-crane) (*Grus canadensis*) — forages for fallen berries - **Symbiotic with:** Magellanic Peatmoss (*Sphagnum magellanicum*) — grows on acidic moss beds ## Traits - [Shrub](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shrub): A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree, typically with multiple stems branching from or near the ground. - [Fruit Bearing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-bearing): Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds. - [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health. - [Fruit Tree](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-tree): A fruit tree is a perennial tree that produces fruit, which is edible to humans or animals. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [Fall Color](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fall-color): Fall color refers to the seasonal change in foliage pigmentation, primarily in deciduous plants, displaying vibrant hues. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always ask an adult before picking or eating wild berries. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify bog cranberry? Compare how the fruit is clustered, the leaves and their arrangement, the stems and any thorns. Red, blue and black fruits grow on lots of unrelated plants, and the same color can show up on both edible and poisonous species. Berry Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is bog cranberry? 5-20 cm ### How wide does bog cranberry spread? 50-100 cm ### How big are the flowers on bog cranberry? 0.5-1 cm ### When does bog cranberry bloom? Late spring to early summer ### Is bog cranberry edible? Yes ### Is bog cranberry toxic? None ### What is bog cranberry's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Black Tern Bog State Natural Area](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/black-tern-bog-state-natural-area) — Wisconsin, US · State Park - [Biosphärenreservat Thüringer Wald](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/biospharenreservat-thuringer-wald) — Thüringen, DE · Park - [Botanischer Garten Rostock](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/botanischer-garten-rostock) — Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, DE · Park - [Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/hunsruck-hochwald-national-park) — Rheinland-Pfalz; Saarland, DE · Park - [Naturpark Südschwarzwald](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/southern-black-forest-nature-park) — Baden-Württemberg, DE · Park - [Naturpark Solling-Vogler im Weserbergland](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/naturpark-solling-vogler-im-weserbergland) — Niedersachsen, DE · Park [View all places to see bog cranberry](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/bog-cranberry) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Bog Cranberry: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/bog-cranberry)