Vaccinium macrocarpon

Vaccinium macrocarpon (also called large cranberry, American cranberry and bearberry) is a North American species of cranberry of the subgenus Oxycoccus and genus Vaccinium.

Vaccinium macrocarpon
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Asterids
Order:
Ericales
Family:
Ericaceae
Genus:
Vaccinium
Subgenus:
Oxycoccos
Species:
V. macrocarpon
Binomial name
Vaccinium macrocarpon
Aiton 1789
Synonyms[1][2]

Description

Vaccinium macrocarpon is a 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.[3][4]

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).[5] 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.[6] Many of these are grown in artificial ponds called cranberry bogs.[7] The most common use of the berries is in sauce to be served with roast turkey.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10][11][12]

See also

References
  1. Tropicos, Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton
  2. The Plant List, Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton
  3. Flora of North America, Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton, 1789. Cranberry, canneberge gros fruits
  4. Aiton, William. 1789. Hortus Kewensis, or, A catalogue of the plants cultivated in the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew 2: 13 and plate 7 description in Latin on page 13; full-page color illustration on plate 7 (between pages 12 and 13)
  5. "Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map". BONAP.net. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  6. "Vaccinium macrocarpon American Cranberry, Cranberry PFAF Plant Database". www.PFAF.org. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  7. University of Massachusetts, Natural History of the American Cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.
  8. Elias, Thomas S.; Dykeman, Peter A. (2009) [1982]. Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods. New York: Sterling. p. 163. ISBN 978-1-4027-6715-9. OCLC 244766414.
  9. Wang C, Fang C, Chen N, et al. Cranberry-Containing Products for Prevention of Urinary Tract Infections in Susceptible Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Arch Intern Med. 2012;172(13):988–996. doi:https://doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2012.3004
  10. Zhang, L. , Ma, J. , Pan, K. , Go, V. L., Chen, J. and You, W. (2005), Efficacy of Cranberry Juice on Helicobacter pylori Infection: a Double‐Blind, Randomized Placebo‐Controlled Trial. Helicobacter, 10: 139-145. doi:10.1111/j.1523-5378.2005.00301.x
  11. Ora Burger, Itzhak Ofek, Mina Tabak, Ervin I. Weiss, Nathan Sharon, Ishak Neeman, A high molecular mass constituent of cranberry juice inhibits Helicobacter pylori adhesion to human gastric mucus, FEMS Immunology & Medical Microbiology, Volume 29, Issue 4, December 2000, Pages 295–301, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-695X.2000.tb01537.x
  12. Martin Gotteland, Monica Andrews, Marcela Toledo, Loreto Muñoz, Paola Caceres, Alyerina Anziani, Emma Wittig, Hernan Speisky, Gabriela Salazar,Modulation of Helicobacter pylori colonization with cranberry juice and Lactobacillus johnsonii La1 in children, Nutrition, Volume 24, Issue 5, 2008, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2008.01.007.
  • Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas
  • Zalapa, J.E.; Bougie, T.C.; Bougie, T.A.; Schlautman, B.J.; Wiesman, E.; Guzman, A.; Fajardo, D.A.; Steffan, S.; Smith, T. (6 November 2014). "Clonal diversity and genetic differentiation revealed by SSR markers in wild Vaccinium macrocarpon and Vaccinium oxycoccos". Annals of Applied Biology. 166 (2): 196–207. doi:10.1111/aab.12173.


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