Bog Cranberry (Lingonberry) vs Cloudberry

Cloudberry produces berries which taste tart and tangy with a sweet, floral hint. The berries have a creamy texture when overripe. They are often used to make jams, juices, and liquors. The berries are a pale red colour and when ripe turn more orange/amber. They do not grow very tall, generally reaching only 10-25 cm.

Cloudberry has distinct male and female plants. In order to produce berries, both must be present and pollinate with each other. Berries are produced at maturity, typically 5-7 years, and produce 1 berry per stem. The plant spreads naturally as they grow using modified underground stems (rhizomes), forming more plants over time in the same area.

This plant can be found wild in Canada’s boreal forest. In Newfoundland and Labrador, this plant is known as the Bakeapple and is a significant regional food. Similarly the Côte-Nord region of Quebec also has a long history of using this berry.

Note: Cloudberries require very specific soil conditions. They need well-drained soil with a pH between 3.5 and 5.0. Also sensitive to salt and dry conditions.

Note: Our seedlings are grown from seed and are too young to identify their sex.

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.

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