Vaccinium vitis-idaea

The berries of Vaccinium vitis-idaea are eaten raw or cooked and are used to make jams, jellies, candy, beverages, sauces, and wine. Native Americans used the leaves and berries of lingonberry medicinally and as food. The leaves, stems, and berries are used to make yellow and purple dye. Vaccinium vitis-idaea is native to the U.S. and is in the Ericaceae (Heath Family).
Photo Credit: © 2008 Ted Niehaus. Courtesy of life.nbii.gov.
Vaccinium vitis-idaea
Common Name: lingonberry
Plant Functional Group: Evergreen broadleaf
Class > Order > Family: Magnoliopsida > Ericales > Ericaceae
What does the species look like? Vaccinium vitis-idaea is an evergreen, perennial, low shrub that can grow to be 1 to 3 feet in height. It grows from a rhizomatous root system and has a short life span. The stems are low growing, trailing, and slender and sometimes form mats. The foliage of lingonberry is oval, shiny, leathery, and green and turns purple in the fall. The flowers are white to pink, bell-shaped, and in clusters. The fruit is a red berry, and the seeds are yellow.   Lingonberry can grow in mountain meadows, pine woods, rocky areas, moist forests, open slopes, and bogs. It can tolerate shade to full sun at higher elevations. It prefers wet to moist, well-drained rocky soils. Vaccinium vitis-idaea is pollinated by bees.   Many species of mammals eat the leaves and berries of Vaccinium vitis-idaea including caribou, black bear, moose, hare, and reindeer. The berries of Vaccinium vitis-idaea is an important food source for many species of migratory birds heading north in spring . Small mammals such as squirrels, fox, skunk, chipmunks and vole also eat the berries of lingonberry. Some small mammals and birds use the shrub for cover. Bees and butterflies also are attracted to lingonberry.
Where is the species found?
States & Provinces
AB, AK, BC, CT, MA, MB, ME, MI, MN, NB, NH, NL, NS, NT, NU, ON, PE, QC, SK, VT, WI, YT
Special Considerations for Observing
1.      If drought seems to be the cause of leaf color or fall for a plant, please make a comment about it for that observation.
Which phenophases should I observe?
Do you see...?
Leaves Breaking leaf buds
One or more breaking leaf buds are visible on the plant. A leaf bud is considered "breaking" once a green leaf tip is visible at the end of the bud, but before the first leaf from the bud has unfolded to expose the leaf base at its point of attachment to the leaf stalk (petiole) or stem.
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How many buds are breaking?

  • Less than 3
  • 3 to 10
  • 11 to 100
  • 101 to 1,000
  • 1,001 to 10,000
  • More than 10,000
Young leaves
One or more young, unfolded leaves are visible on the plant. A leaf is considered "young" and "unfolded" once its entire length has emerged from a breaking bud, stem node or growing stem tip, so that the leaf base is visible at its point of attachment to the leaf stalk (petiole) or stem, but before the leaf has reached full size or turned the darker green color or tougher texture of mature leaves on the plant. Do not include fully dried or dead leaves.

How many young leaves are present?

  • Less than 3
  • 3 to 10
  • 11 to 100
  • 101 to 1,000
  • 1,001 to 10,000
  • More than 10,000
Flowers Flowers or flower buds
One or more fresh open or unopened flowers or flower buds are visible on the plant. Include flower buds or inflorescences that are swelling or expanding, but do not include those that are tightly closed and not actively growing (dormant). Also do not include wilted or dried flowers.
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How many flowers and flower buds are present? For species in which individual flowers are clustered in flower heads, spikes or catkins (inflorescences), simply estimate the number of flower heads, spikes or catkins and not the number of individual flowers.

  • Less than 3
  • 3 to 10
  • 11 to 100
  • 101 to 1,000
  • 1,001 to 10,000
  • More than 10,000
Open flowers
One or more open, fresh flowers are visible on the plant. Flowers are considered "open" when the reproductive parts (male stamens or female pistils) are visible between or within unfolded or open flower parts (petals, floral tubes or sepals). Do not include wilted or dried flowers.
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What percentage of all fresh flowers (buds plus unopened plus open) on the plant are open? For species in which individual flowers are clustered in flower heads, spikes or catkins (inflorescences), estimate the percentage of all individual flowers that are open.

  • Less than 5%
  • 5-24%
  • 25-49%
  • 50-74%
  • 75-94%
  • 95% or more
Fruits Fruits
One or more fruits are visible on the plant. For Vaccinium vitis-idaea, the fruit is a berry that changes from green to bright red or dark red.
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How many fruits are present?

  • Less than 3
  • 3 to 10
  • 11 to 100
  • 101 to 1,000
  • 1,001 to 10,000
  • More than 10,000
Ripe fruits
One or more ripe fruits are visible on the plant. For Vaccinium vitis-idaea, a fruit is considered ripe when it has turned bright red or dark red.
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What percentage of all fruits (unripe plus ripe) on the plant are ripe?

  • Less than 5%
  • 5-24%
  • 25-49%
  • 50-74%
  • 75-94%
  • 95% or more
Recent fruit or seed drop
One or more mature fruits or seeds have dropped or been removed from the plant since your last visit. Do not include obviously immature fruits that have dropped before ripening, such as in a heavy rain or wind, or empty fruits that had long ago dropped all of their seeds but remained on the plant.
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How many mature fruits have dropped seeds or have completely dropped or been removed from the plant since your last visit?

  • Less than 3
  • 3 to 10
  • 11 to 100
  • 101 to 1,000
  • 1,001 to 10,000
  • More than 10,000
What do these phenophases look like?

There is currently no photoguide available for this species. If you'd like help us create one, use the guidance document and species template provided here. Then send it via email to education@usanpn.org when it is complete.

USDA PLANTS profile for lingonberry (USDA Symbol: VAVI )