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American Cranberry

Vaccinium macrocarpon

American cranberry is the trailing evergreen vine of acid bogs that yields the familiar tart red fruit. A creeping groundcover for permanently wet, sandy, acidic ground and rain-garden margins.

Family
Ericaceae
Type
shrub
Lifespan
perennial
Height
0–1 ft
Spacing
2–6 ft apart
Light
sun
Soil moisture
wet, moist
Soil pH
acidic
Bloom
June, July
Bloom colors
pink, white
Wildlife value
pollinators, songbirds, butterflies, larval host, mammals
Caterpillar hosts
~294 butterfly & moth species
Landscape uses
foundation, groundcover, container, rain garden, erosion control
Native states
CT, DE, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, TN, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV