Vaccinium oxycoccos
Ordinary Cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos )
The Ordinary Cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos, syn. Oxycoccus palustris Pers. ) Is a representative of blueberries (Vaccinium ) in the heather family ( Ericaceae ). It is a characteristic plant of Bulte in Bult - bog complexes of rain bogs, but also occurs in intermediate marshes and swamp forests. Characteristic of this dwarf shrub are reduced to their thin threads " tribes " with which they entwines flat over Torfmoospolster.
Name
The scientific name Oxycoccus (written oxycoccos in the second part of species names ) is derived from the Greek oxys = sour / sharp and kókkos = berry from. Thus, referring to the sour -tasting berries.
Description
The Ordinary cranberry is an evergreen, filiform prostrate growing dwarf shrub ( woody Chamaephyt ) whose stalks can creep far up to one meter. It is about two to six inches high. The leaves are leathery, elliptic to lanceolate with the greatest width at the base. They are dark green on top, underside whitish green, entire back and rolled-over with the top edge and bare. They are five to ten millimeters long.
The pink -colored terminal flower sitting at one to fourth on up to five centimeters long pedicles. This has two red, one to two and a half millimeters long bracts. The crown of flowers is five to seven millimeters long and has four to five recurved tip. The fruits reach up to eighteen millimeters in diameter. After the fruit shape sometimes different forms are distinguished. The fruits are yellow-red to red, sometimes speckled. The plant flowers from May to August. The fruits ripen in August.
Location and distribution
The cranberry grows preferentially on peat soils. The cranberry has a circumpolar distribution, to about 71 ° north latitude. In Scandinavia, the Baltic States, Northern Russia, Japan and North America it occurs frequently. In the Alps, it grows to a height of 1500 meters.
Ecology
The Ordinary cranberry is an evergreen, filiform prostrate growing dwarf shrub ( woody Chamaephyt ) whose stalks can creep far up to one meter.
The flowers are " bluebells with scattering cone ", which is completely open in this case. The flowers of cranberry are insects, especially bees and bumble bees pollinated ( Entomogamie ). The life of flowers is one of about 18 days, the longest of our native flora. Bloom time is from May to August.
The fruits are berries, which last until the next summer. After the frost, they are soft and are then carried consumption and excretion of seeds by animals, particularly by birds spread ( Endochorie ). Fruit maturity is in August. The plant is a winter stayer. Often the fruits come only after the melting of the snow reappeared and only then can be spread. The seeds are light to germinate.
The plant is a half-light plant, which means it grows in full light, but suffers due to shading. Your ecological focus is on wet and extremely poor in nitrogen, mostly acidic to moderately acidic soils.
The construction of the plant as an adaptation to water availability and gas metabolism reflects its location conditions. The cranberry is skleromorph. The leathery, about twelve millimeters long leaves are hard by strengthening tissue. The lower leaf surface is waxy and protects the sheets so that prevents water loss in winter.
While most animals the tough leathery leaves of the ordinary cranberry disdain, the caterpillar of the cranberry nut ( Carsia sororiata ) and probably also of the high moorland Perlmutterfalters ( Boloria aquilonaris ) exclusively of this plant feeds. A third type, but also related befrisst heather family ( Ericaceae ), is the high moor Blue ( Plebejus optilete ).
Threats and conservation
The Ordinary Cranberry is a global non-proprietary. But applicable in Germany as vulnerable ( risk category 3). The portfolio development is specified as a constant, ie their decline coincides with their increase. The type is in the Federal Republic of native ( indigenous ). Your site content is here between ten and 33 percent.
Ingredients
The cranberry is edible. The berries are rich in vitamin C ( 15-30 mg/100 g), minerals ( 0.2-0.3 %), pectin ( 0.4-0.8 % ), organic acids (mainly citric acid, benzoic acid and chlorogenic acid ) and sugar ( 2.4 to 6.1 %). Their locations are mainly in nature reserves. Therefore, collecting the fruit is only possible in exceptional cases. Their red berries have a slightly bitter taste, which resembles approximately that of the cranberries. Cranberries fit to wild boar, deer or venison. Are processed cranberries to jam, dried fruit, tea and juice. Furthermore, see the fruits in baked goods, liqueurs, vitamin supplements and creams use. Regional, they are served with pancakes and cheese dishes. For Cranberries local berry pickers in the Baltic EU Member States are by far the highest prices for wild berries paid. The maturity and harvesting time of the fruit is from September to October.