Cranberry
| Cranberries | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Cranberry bush with fruit partially submerged in bog | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Vaccinium |
| Subgenus: | Vaccinium subg. Oxycoccus (Hill) A.Gray |
| Species | |
|
Vaccinium erythrocarpum | |
Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus Oxycoccus of the genus Vaccinium. Cranberries are low, creeping shrubs or vines up to 2 meters (7 ft) long and 5 to 20 centimeters (2 to 8 in) in height; they have slender stems that are not thickly woody and have small evergreen leaves. The flowers are dark pink. The fruit is a berry that is larger than the leaves of the plant; it is initially light green, turning red when ripe. It is edible, but has an acidic taste.
In Britain, cranberry may refer to the native species Vaccinium oxycoccos, while in North America, it may refer to V. macrocarpon. The former is cultivated in central and northern Europe, while the latter is cultivated throughout the northern United States, Canada, and Chile. In 2020, the U.S., Canada, and Chile accounted for 97% of the world production of cranberries. Most cranberries are processed into products such as juice, sauce, jam, and sweetened dried cranberries, with the remainder sold fresh to consumers. Cranberry sauce is a traditional accompaniment to turkey at Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners in the U.S. and Canada, and at Christmas dinners in the United Kingdom.