Common name: Cranberry*
Scientific name: Vaccinium oxycoccos 紅莓苔子、大果毛蒿豆
Genus: Vaccinium 越橘屬
Family: Ericaceae 杜鵑花科, heath or heather family
Origin: native
Date: 22nd May, 7th June (taken on another location)
[425] A prostrate, trailing, creeping perennial.
[015_1] (taken on 7th June) Long wiry 鐵絲狀的 stems.
[420_1] Leaves small, 4-8mm (5–11 × 2–5 mm), oblong or ovate, leathery, glabrous, dark green above. (vs leaves 3-5mm, widest at base in 小果紅莓苔子、毛蒿豆, small cranberry) Petioles around 1mm long. Apex acute to apiculate.
[419_1] Leaves alternate, widely spaced, glaucous 具粉霜的、淡灰綠色的 beneath, secondary veins inconspicuous on both surfaces, base rounded, margins strongly revolute, entire.
[002_1] (taken on 7th June) Inflorescences terminal umbellate racemes, axis to 7 mm, flowers sometimes axillary at base of innovation, (1- or)2–4-flowered (2 flowered above); (vs flowers in groups of 1-2 in 小果紅莓苔子、毛蒿豆, small cranberry).
[418_1] Bracts persistent, ovate, ca. 2 mm, glabrous. Pedicel recurved at apex, filiform, 1–2(–3) cm, pubescent; bracteoles at middle. Be: Bracteole 小苞片; Bt: bract 苞片; Pl: Pedicel 花梗
[416_1]
Flower stalks minutely hiary (Pedicel pubescent). (vs flower stalks glabrous in 小果紅莓苔子、毛蒿豆, small cranberry). Hypanthium glabrous; calyx lobes suborbicular, ca. 0.5 mm. Be: Bracteole 小苞片; Ca: Corolla lobe 花冠裂片; Ce: Calyx lobe;Hm: Hypanthium 萼筒; Pl: Pedicel 花梗
[417_1]
Bracteoles at middle. Be: Bracteole 小苞片; Ca: Corolla lobe 花冠裂片; Ce: Calyx lobe 萼裂片; Hm: Hypanthium 萼筒; Pl: Pedicel 花梗
[424_1] Flowers 4-merous. Corolla pinkish, glabrous, lobed nearly to base; lobes strongly reflexed (only slightly reflexed on the above photo), oblong, 4–6 mm. Photo above showing the underside of the corolla lobes.
[425_1] Filaments ca. 1.5 mm, ciliolate; anthers ca. 3 mm, thecae without spurs; tubules shorter than thecae. Ar: Anther 花葯; Coe: Corolla lobe 花冠裂片; Ft: Filament 花絲; Hm: Hypanthium 萼筒; Pl: Pedicel 花梗; The: Thecae 葯室; Tue: Tubule 葯管
[414_1] Corolla lobes nearly to base, lobes strongly revolute.
[005_1] (taken on 7th June) Berries deep red, red-spotted at first, 6-12 mm diam, spherical to pear-shaped.
[008_1] (taken on 7th June) The base of the berry.
[009_1] (taken on 7th June) The top view of the berry showing the remaing calyx lobes.
Remarks*: Cranberry 蔓越莓、越橘、蔓越橘、小紅莓 are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus Oxycoccus 紅莓苔子組 of the genus Vaccinium 越橘屬.
In Britain, cranberry may refer to the native species Vaccinium oxycoccos. Although it is cultivated in central and northern Europe, most of the cranberry sold in UK supermarkets is Vaccinium macrocarpon 大果越橘, large cranberry, American cranberry or bearberry, which is a North American species of cranberry and is cultivated throughout the northern United States, Canada and Chile.
