Thunderchild Flowering Crab vs Bog Cranberry (Lingonberry) - TreeTime.ca

Thunderchild Flowering Crab vs Bog Cranberry (Lingonberry)

Malus x adstringens Thunderchild

Vaccinium vitis-idaea

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

Thunderchild Flowering Crab
Bog Cranberry (Lingonberry)

Thunderchild Flowering Crab is a hybrid crab apple known for its attractive and fragrant dark pink blossoms and deep purple mature leaves.

Tree farmers will find this hybrid appealing as a pollinator for other apples, while home growers will enjoy the red pome's ability to attract flocks of Cedar Waxwings in the early spring.

This species is reportedly resistant to fireblight.

Bog Cranberry is a native, ground cover species. These plants generally produce one crop per year in summer. Plants may spread 3 feet in width forming a dense mat which makes it attractive as an ornamental ground cover.

Wild crops of Bog Cranberry are harvested each year in Newfoundland (more than 200,000 lbs/yr). Harvest of wild fruit can no longer keep up with demand. In Europe, 80 million pounds per year of this crop is grown or harvested from the wild.

Bog Cranberry flowers are similar in shape to those of blueberry and may be white or pink in color. These berries are considered to be highly flavored but not as tart as cranberries.

Check out our YouTube video of this plant in the fall: Fall Bog Cranberry.

Note: We use Bog Cranberry for Vaccinium vitis-idaea. This species is also known by many other common names. Please confirm the scientific name to ensure you are ordering the correct plant.

Thunderchild Flowering Crab Quick Facts

Bog Cranberry (Lingonberry) Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 2a
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Height: 0.2 m (0.7 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Suckering: none
Suckering: low


Foliage: dark purple leaves
Fall colour: dark red
Flowers: dark pink blossoms
Flowers: white or pink
Fruit: small red pomes that hang through the winter
Berries: small red pomes that hang through the winter
Berries: tart, cranberry-like
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: cowberry, dry ground cranberry, fox berry, foxberry, lingonberry, northern mountain cranberry, partridgeberry, rock cranberry, wolf berry, wolf-berry