How to identify — This evergreen shrub rarely exceeds a few inches in height. The leaf is round, including the tip, it has a prominent mid-vein, is waxy, and relatively thick. The light pink bell-shaped flowers grow in drooping clusters from the tip of the stem. The petals are fused, and will drop as a unit before the fruit begins to develop. The mature fruits are vibrant red berries. There are a number of plants that are similar to mountain cranberry in one or two attributes, but the combination of the low-growth form, round waxy leaves, and pink bell-shaped flowers or red berries are unique to this plant.

Habitat/Distribution — Mountain cranberry is a habitat generalist that is found throughout the alpine zone where environmental conditions are moderate. It tends to be most abundant at lower elevations within the alpine zone. Regionally, it is found in alpine and cliff areas of New England, and boreal regions throughout the world.

Ecology — The waxy leaves of the mountain cranberry help to retain moisture in the leaves. Despite the fact that alpine areas receive heavy amounts of precipitation, the exposure to sun and high winds can create drought conditions for alpine plants. The leaves are also evergreen, which allows the plant to begin photosynthesis as soon as the short growing season begins. Evergreen leaves also means that mountain cranberry does not need to reacquire all of the nutrients needed to put out new leaves every spring, which is advantageous in the thin nutrient poor soils found above treeline. The fruits are edible, although they are extremely tart until they have been exposed to freezing cold temperatures. In northern Europe, they are known as lingonberries, and are commonly made into a jam.

Environmental Change Issues — Mountain cranberry is abundant at lower elevations above treeline. Therefore, it is less likely than some of the other alpine plants to become regionally extirpated as a result of climate change.