Large cranberry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Large cranberry |
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V. macrocarpon
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| Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton 1789
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Synonymy
Vaccinium oxycoccos var. oblongifolium Michx.
Schollera macrocarpos (Aiton) Britton Oxycoca macrocarpa (Aiton) Raf. Oxycoccus macrocarpos (Aiton) Pers. Oxycoccus macrocarpus (Aiton) Pers. Oxycoccus palustris var. macrocarpos (Aiton) Pers. Schollera macrocarpa (Aiton) Steud. Vaccinium propinquum Salisb. |
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Vaccinium macrocarpon (also called large cranberry, American cranberry and bearberry) is a North American species of cranberry of the subgenus Oxycoccus and genus Vaccinium.
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Description
Vaccinium macrocarpon is a perennial shrub, often ascending (trailing along the surface of the ground for some distance but then curving upwards). It produces white or pink flowers followed by sour-tasting red or pink berries 9–14 mm (0.35–0.55 in) across.
Distribution
Vaccinium macrocarpon is native to central and eastern Canada (Ontario to Newfoundland) and the northeastern and north-central United States (Northeast, Great Lakes Region, and Appalachians as far south as North Carolina and Tennessee). It is also naturalized in parts of Europe and scattered locations in North America along western Canada (British Columbia) and the western United States (West Coast).
Human uses
The species is grown commercially as a cash crop for its edible berries. Many of these are grown in artificial ponds called cranberry bogs. The most common use of the berries is in sauce to be served with roast turkey. There is some evidence suggesting that the berries or their juice could be useful in treating or preventing certain urinary tract infections, but this is not certain yet and thus is not a substitute for medical management. Some research suggests cranberries may suppress asymptomatic Helicobacter pylori colonization, but they seem to be an inferior treatment compared to antibiotic therapy in symptomatic patients.
See also
In Spanish: Vaccinium macrocarpon para niños
