Large Cranberry is native low-growing vine, ground cover or trailing evergreen shrub and is usually grown in wet bog conditions. They spread by rhizomes and can be difficult to transplant. Requirements are full sun and moist but well-drained soils and they can tolerate periodic flooding. Soil pH needs to be 4.0-5.2. The plants are grown commercially as a food crop and the berries mature in August-November. This plant is intolerant of heat and drought. Ornamentally it can be used as a ground cover for boggy or marshy areas with acidic soils. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Cranberries are subject to chlorosis problems if soil pH is too high. More information on Vaccinium .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt)
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Wet
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Mountains
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 4 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Horizontal; Spreading
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Brown/Copper; Green; White
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Glossy; Leathery
Leaf size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Small glossy leaves are bronze in spring and green in summer. Undersides are whitish. Fall color varies from copper to purple.
Fall color
Brown/Copper; Purple/Lavender
Flower color
Pink; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Head
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Showy small fuchsia pink flower stalks develop from stem tips Each bloom has four thin white petals that are acutely reflexed, exposing a dark, elongated central cone of 8-10 fused stamens. They bloom from May to July.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
1/2 inch round red fruit in late summer to mid-fall (August-November).
Bark color
Dark Brown
Bark detail
The bark of an adult plant is thin and smooth
Stem color
Brown/Copper
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
NE North America
Distribution
USA: CA, CT, DE, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, TN, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV Canada: NB, NL, NS, ON, PE, QC
Wildlife value
Berries are eaten by birds and small mammals and it also attracts pollinators. Members of the genus Vaccinium support the following specialized bees: Andrena (Conandrena) bradleyi, Andrena (Andrena) carolina, Panurginus atramontensis, Habropoda laboriosa, Colletes productus, Colletes validus, and Osmia (Melanosmia) virga.
Attracts
Butterflies; Pollinators; Small Mammals; Songbirds; Specialized Bees