Vaccinium vitis-idaea
| Vaccinium vitis-idaea | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-6.5 |
| Evergreen Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Vaccinium vitis-idaea (common name: cowberry)
Propagation: Seed - sow late winter in a greenhouse in a lime-free potting mix and only just cover the seed[1]. Stored seed might require a period of up to 3 months cold stratification[2]. Another report says that it is best to sow the seed in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe[3]. Once they are about 5cm tall, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm with a heel, August in a frame[1]. Slow and difficult.
Layering in late summer or early autumn[1]. Another report says that spring is the best time to layer[3]. Takes 18 months[1].
Division of suckers in spring or early autumn[2].
Cultivation: Requires a moist but freely-draining lime free soil, preferring one that is rich in peat or a light loamy soil with added leaf-mould[4][3]. Prefers a very acid soil with a pH in the range of 4.5 to 6, plants soon become chlorotic when lime is present. Succeeds in full sun or light shade though it fruits better in a sunny position[3]. Requires shelter from strong winds[3].
Dislikes root disturbance, plants are best grown in pots until being planted out in their permanent positions[3].
Sometimes cultivated for its edible fruit, there are some named varieties[5]. 'Koralle' has large and conspicuous berries[6]. The fruit hangs on the plant all winter if it is not picked[5].
The flowers produce a great deal of nectar and are very attractive to bees[7].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[3].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Iceland south and east to the Pyrenees, Macedonia, N. Asia to Japan
Habitat: Sunny mountain meadows, peat moors and pine woods[7][8], on acid soils[9].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[10][11][12][9][13][14]. Quite pleasant to eat[7]. An acid flavour, they are used like cranberries in preserves and are considered by many people to be superior to cranberries[5]. The taste is better after a frost[15][16][17]. Occasionally the plants bear 2 crops in a year[18]. The fruit is about 6mm in diameter[3].
A tea is made from the leaves[19][5]. This should not be drunk on a regular basis because it contains the toxin 'arbutin'[9].
Medicinal: The leaves are antiseptic, astringent, diuretic, refrigerant[7][13]. They are used in the treatment of gonorrhoea[20], arthritis, rheumatism, diabetes and diarrhoea[9]. The leaves are gathered in early summer and dried for later use[7].
The mature fruits are eaten fresh or dried as a remedy for diarrhoea[9] and as a treatment for sore throats, coughs and colds[14]. The juice has been gargled as a treatment for sore throats[14].
Usage: A yellow dye is obtained from the leaves and stems[17].
A purple dye is obtained from the fruit[21].
Can be grown as a ground cover plant[4], spreading by underground runners[22]. It needs weeding for the first year or so[23]. Plants are best spaced about 30cm apart each way[24].
Pollinators: Bees, self
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Simmons, Alan. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles, 1972.
- ↑ Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 1974.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ Sowerby, John. The Useful Plants of Great Britain. 1862.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ Napier, Elspeth. Ground Cover Plants. Cassells, 1989.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.