Herb: Southern Mountain Cranberry


Latin name: Vaccinium erythrocarpum


Synonyms: Oxycoccus erythrocarpus


Family: Ericaceae (Heath Family)



Edible parts of Southern Mountain Cranberry:

Fruit - raw or cooked and used in jellies etc. The transparent scarlet berries have an excellent flavour. Somewhat sour according to one report whilst another says that they can be insipid or sweetish.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
150 cm
(5 feet)

Flowering:
June

Habitat of the herb:

Thickets, rocky woods, slopes and summits.

Propagation of Southern Mountain Cranberry:

Seed - sow late winter in a greenhouse in a lime-free potting mix and only just cover the seed. Stored seed might require a period of up to 3 months cold stratification. Another report says that it is best to sow the seed in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe. Once they are about 5cm tall, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm with a heel, August in a frame. Slow and difficult. Layering in late summer or early autumn. Another report says that spring is the best time to layer. Takes 18 months. Division of suckers in spring or early autumn.

Cultivation of the herb:

Thickets, rocky woods, slopes and summits.

Medicinal use of Southern Mountain Cranberry:

None known

Known hazards of Vaccinium erythrocarpum:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.