Lingonberry

Family:Ericaceae (Heath family)
Genus: Vaccinium
Species: vitis-idaea

Picture courtesy of Oregon State University Landscape Plant Database

The choice of this month’s featured plant is not a reminder to get your flu shot—although that’s always a good idea. But the Latin root of “vaccine” and Vaccinium is the same. It’s vacca, which means cow. Thus a common English name for this particular species of Vaccinium is cowberry, known in Sweden as “lingon.” So “lingonberry”—or “lingenberry,” as it’s sometimes spelled—is a bit redundant. Beyond this straightforward foray into nomenclature, however, all bets are off where Vaccinium vitis-idaea is concerned. In addition to cowberry, it’s also known in various regions of the world as alpine cranberry, moss cranberry, rock cranberry, mountain cranberry, red whortleberry, foxberry, and partridgeberry. I can’t find any references to “voleberry,” squirrelberry,” “reindeerberry,” “mooseberry,” “skunkberry,” or “snowshoehareberry,” although they eat it, too, as do bears and many kinds of birds. Sheep don’t touch it, apparently, if other things are available, but to get us back on track, cows do. So, thankfully, it’s also known as “lingberry,” “lingon,” “lingen,” and—we finally made it back!—lingonberry. This latter term originated right here in the United States, only about 50 years ago.

As you may have guessed, Vaccinium vitis-idaea is native to high, cold places. It’s found across northern Europe, through Siberia and on into Japan and northern China. There is a subspecies native to a great swath across the Americas, ranging from Greenland to British Columbia and the northern environs of the United States. Its name is Vaccinium vitis-idaea minus and it’s much smaller than the species, in stature as well as in the size of its leaves. Minus is Latin for “itty bitty.”

The lingonberry is related to the blueberry, and to the cranberry. Vaccinium is a very large genus, with more than 450 species—most of which have food value as well as ornamental appeal—native to all global regions. The Pilgrims recognized V. macrocarpon—the native American cranberry—when they saw it because of its similarity to the V. oxycoccus they knew from their European homes. The berries of V. macrocarpon were larger, but it had the same renowned keeping qualities. All cranberries are rich in benzoic acid, which is a natural preservative.

But we’ll return now to Vaccinium vitis-idaea. Its cousins will have to wait for their own column. This evergreen shrublet of up to 16 inches in height when fully grown makes a fine ground cover or small edging plant, particularly in a heather garden. It spreads by rhizomes, although very slowly and could never be called invasive. The small, broad leaves are thick and almost leathery. Deep green in the summer with purple overtones in winter, they provide a nice backdrop for spikes of pinkish flowers that appear twice each year and give way to two annual crops of bright red berries about the size of peas. These are tart and flavorful and much prized for everything from pastries to jellies and wines. They are very high in vitamin C and provide the basis for arbutin, used to treat intestinal disorders. Their cholesterol-lowering properties are touted in Europe. The ‘Koralle’ variety widely available here as an ornamental is an important commercial crop in Germany and Scandinavia.

Vaccinium vitis-idaea is fully hardy here and relatively easy to grow, so long as you follow a few simple rules. Remember that all members of the Vaccinium genus are acid-loving plants. Give them a site with adequate drainage and full sun, and go easy on the fertilizer. They appreciate a sandy soil well amended with humus so if you have clay, work the soil well and amend it appropriately before planting your lingonberries. An annual feeding, in the spring with an acid fertilizer is sufficient. Any more than that, and the surrounding weeds will grow at the expense of the lingonberry. Keep the moisture level constant during the growing season.