>Wildflowers
White
Pink
Red and Orange
Yellow
Blue and Purple
Green and Brown
• Ferns
• Rare Plants
• Gardening with
Native Plants
• Plant ID Guides
• Links
The Society
• Home
• Field Trips
• Meetings
• Newsletter
• Membership
• Get Involved
• Contact Us
• About this Web Site
Small Cranberry
Vaccinium oxycoccos
This is one of two species of cranberry; the other, large cranberry is the one used in cooking. The easiest way to identify them is probably the leaves -- on small cranberry, the leaf edges are generally rolled under (see images below). The two plants also differ in the size of their fruit -- a quarter to half inch long on small cranberry, and a half to one inch on large cranberry.
• Family: Heath (Ericaceae)
• Habitat: bogs, especially in cool areas
• Height: 1-4 inches
• Flower size: 3/8 inch long
• Flower color: pink
• Flowering time: May to July
• Origin: native
next in heath family
A stem of small cranberry, showing the undersides of the leaves. The leaf edges are rolled under. |
A stem of large cranberry for comparison. Note that the leaf edges are not rolled under. |