Red Elderberry vs Bog Cranberry (Lingonberry) - TreeTime.ca

Red Elderberry vs Bog Cranberry (Lingonberry)

Sambucus racemosa

Vaccinium vitis-idaea

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

Red Elderberry
Bog Cranberry (Lingonberry)

Red Elderberry is an attractive, medium-sized deciduous shrub.

It produces clusters of white flowers in the spring and bright red berry-like drupes, which provide beautiful contrast against its coarse, textured green foliage.

Red Elder can be pruned as a small single or multi-stemmed tree.

Note: This species is currently unavailable. Grow your own using Red Elderberry seeds at SeedTime.ca.

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.

Red Elderberry Quick Facts

Bog Cranberry (Lingonberry) Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 2a
Height: 4 m (13 ft)
Height: 0.2 m (0.7 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no
Berries: bright red berries
Berries: tart, cranberry-like
Flowers: white
Flowers: white or pink
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Suckering: none
Suckering: low



Toxicity: toxic to humans

Other Names: red elder
Other Names: cowberry, dry ground cranberry, fox berry, foxberry, lingonberry, northern mountain cranberry, partridgeberry, rock cranberry, wolf berry, wolf-berry