Cranberry

Cranberry bog

Description

Cranberry harvest

A creeping plant with bright red edible berries of the genus Vaccinium, such as the American cranberry Vaccinium macrocarpon. Cranberry plants are native to cool, marshy regions in North America, Asia, and Europe. A deep red dye has been made from the extracted color of cranberry fruits.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Vaccinium macrocarpon (American cranberry); craneberry; tranebær (Dan.); Moosbeeren (Deut.); arádanos (Esp.); arielle (Fr.); veenbessen (Ned.); tranbär (Sven.); mirtillo rosso (It.)

Physical and Chemical Properties

• Creeping shrub grows to 1.5 m tall.
• Fruit = Edible round berry (1 cm) ripens to red in early fall.

Resources and Citations

• R.J. Adrosko, Natural Dyes in the United States, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, 1968

• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "cranberry." Accessed 8 Dec. 2004 .

• Virginia Tech Dendrology website at www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/main.htm (accessed Oct. 6, 2005)

• Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cranberry (accessed Dec. 8, 2004)