# Cranberry (*Cranberry false blossom phytoplasma*)

Cranberries are small, red fruits that grow on low, creeping shrubs. They are often used to make tasty juices and sauces.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Wetlands
- **Also known as:** American Cranberry, Highbush Cranberry, Lowbush Cranberry

![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 Cranberry is a low-growing, evergreen vine with small, glossy green leaves that turn reddish in winter. It produces tiny, pale pink to reddish flowers shaped like a crane's head, which later develop into firm, bright red, round berries.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Ericales
- **Family:** Ericaceae
- **Genus:** Vaccinium

## Interesting facts

- A single cranberry vine can keep producing fruit for over 100 years!
- Cranberries actually grow on low-lying vines, not on tall bushes!
- Native Americans used cranberries for food, medicine, and even dye!
- The tart taste of cranberries comes from special, healthy acids!

## Special abilities

- **Bog Buddy:** Cranberry can thrive in acidic, nutrient-poor bogs because its roots are specially adapted to very wet, waterlogged soils.
- **Floating Harvest:** Cranberry berries have unique air pockets inside that make them float, which helps farmers harvest them by flooding fields.
- **Evergreen Endurance:** Cranberry has tiny, leathery evergreen leaves that help it survive cold winters and continue photosynthesis year-round.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 10-30 cm
- **Spread:** 30-100 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

- **Pollinates:** [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*) — Vital for flower fertilization
- **Eaten by:** [White-tailed Deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-tailed-deer) (*Odocoileus virginianus*) — Eats berries and foliage
- **Eaten by:** American Black Bear (*Ursus americanus*) — Feasts on ripe berries
- **Depends on:** Red Bog Sphagnum (*Sphagnum capillifolium*) — Thrives in acidic moss mats

## Traits

- [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.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.
- [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

- [Fruits](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fruits)
- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Cranberries in stores are safe to eat, but don't pick wild berries without an adult.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify 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 Cranberry?

10-30 cm

### How wide does Cranberry spread?

30-100 cm

### How big are the flowers on Cranberry?

0.5-1 cm

### When does Cranberry bloom?

Late spring to early summer

### Is Cranberry edible?

Yes

### Is Cranberry toxic?

None

### What is Cranberry's lifecycle?

Perennial

## 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*)

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Source: [Cranberry: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/cranberry)