Identification
- Evergreen, low growing (up to 3 inches tall).
- Rounded, thick, and waxy leaves have a prominent mid-vein.
- Leaves are rarely larger than your pinky fingernail.
- Light pink flowers grow in drooping clusters at the stem tip.
- The fused petals are bell-shaped.
- Red berries appear in late summer.
| Flowering |
Are some or all of the plant (s)...
Before flower - A tiny red bud at the tip of the stem is dormant or has begun to swell. As the bud develops, the bud scales expand to reveal a cluster of individual red to pink flowers, but a flower remains unopened.
In flower - A light pink flower has opened enough to allow access to a pollinator, but the petal tube has not wilted or fallen off yet. Look carefully to see if the bell-shaped flower is open at the bottom.
After flower - The petal tube has wilted or fallen off. The remaining green ovary will swell, and soon begin to develop into a red berry, but the berry is not yet completely red.
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| Fruiting |
Are some or all of the plant(s)...
Before ripe fruit - A pink petal tube has wilted or fallen off. The ovary will soon begin to swell and change color from green to red as the fruit develops, but the berry has not yet turned completely red.
Ripe fruit - A berry is fully swollen and has turned completely red. Look on the berry underside to see whether the cranberry has turned completely red. Berries can persist through winter; do not record these as ripe fruit early in the grow season.
After ripe fruit - We are not monitoring this stage for this species. Because not all flowers will develop into fruits, it is difficult to determine if a “missing” fruit at the end of an empty stem is the result of fruit that ripened and dispersed, or a flower that was not pollinated and therefore never began to develop into a fruit.
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Fun Facts
This species is found throughout alpine areas, rocky exposed sub-alpine slopes, acidic forests, and low elevation bogs.
In northern Europe the berries (known as lingonberries) are used to make jams, sauces and other edibles.
Like many alpine plants, mountain cranberry leaves are evergreen, which allows the plant to begin photosynthesis as soon as the short growing season begins. In addition, the waxy leaves help to retain moisture; despite the fact that Northeast alpine areas receive heavy amounts of precipitation, thin soils and exposure to sun and high winds can create drought conditions for alpine plants.
