Cowberry
Vaccinium vitis-idaea
Heath family (Ericaceae)
Least Concern (LC)
The stories related to this plant are still being edited.
Themes
Crown jewel in the Nijmegen Botanic Garden.
The fruit has a pleasant taste either raw or cooked. The berries have a bitter flavour and can be used in the same way as cranberries in preserves but are considered by many to be superior to cranberries with the taste developing after being frosted. Tea is made from the leaves.
The leaves are antiseptic, astringent, diuretic and cooling. The leaves are gathered in early summer and dried for later use. The mature fruits are eaten fresh or dried as a remedy for diarrhoea and as a treatment for sore throats, coughs and colds. The juice is gargled as a treatment for sore throats.
A yellow dye is obtained from the leaves and stems and a purple dye is obtained from the fruit.
It is not advised to drink mistletoe tea on a regular basis because the leaves contains the toxin arbutin.
Details
| Description: | Shrub, up to 40cm. |
|---|---|
| Distributions: | In cold and cool temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. further south, mainly in mountain ranges. |
| Habitat: | Heathland, coastal dunes, along the edge of water, swamps, forests, forest edges and thickets (e.g. of juniper) |
| Year cycle: | Perennial (polycarpic evergreen) |
| Hardiness: | 5 - 14 f (hardy - cold winter) |
| Flowering period: | Mei - oktober |
| Flower color: | White, pink, red |
| Notes on flowers: | The calyx is reddish with triangular, pointed lobes; corolla is bell-shaped, pinkish-white. |
| Fruiting period: | Juni - oktober |
| Fruit color: | Red, white |
| Notes on fruits: | Globose berries 0.5-1 cm are red in colour, rarely white |
| At its best: | Mei - oktober |