Cranberry

Cranberries are a group of <a href="/facts/Evergreen/bcLptUdV">evergreen</a> <a href="/facts/Dwarf_shrub/NRV9LAHv">dwarf shrubs</a> or trailing vines in the <a href="/facts/Subgenus/csbIQaGC">subgenus</a> Oxycoccus of the genus <a href="/facts/Vaccinium/SAMRbcfc">Vaccinium</a>. 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 <a href="/facts/Evergreen/bcLptUdV">evergreen</a> leaves. The flowers are dark pink. The fruit is a <a href="/facts/Berry_(botany)/2JfhI0vw">berry</a> 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 <a href="/facts/Vaccinium_oxycoccos/WJP2YNzo">Vaccinium oxycoccos</a>, while in North America, cranberry may refer to <a href="/facts/Vaccinium_macrocarpon/CNIMezWz">Vaccinium macrocarpon</a>. Vaccinium oxycoccos is cultivated in central and northern Europe, while V. macrocarpon is cultivated throughout the northern United States, Canada and Chile. In some methods of classification, Oxycoccus is regarded as a genus in its own right. Cranberries can be found in <a href="/facts/Acid/FySU18n1">acidic</a> bogs throughout the cooler regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
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 <a href="/facts/Cranberry_juice/arMNoJTh">juice</a>, sauce, jam, and sweetened <a href="/facts/Dried_cranberries/CdVn19U3">dried cranberries</a>, with the remainder sold fresh to consumers. <a href="/facts/Cranberry_sauce/8K5pjd2m">Cranberry sauce</a> is a traditional accompaniment to turkey at Christmas and <a href="/facts/Thanksgiving/B1f0NtI2">Thanksgiving</a> dinners in the U.S. and Canada, and at Christmas dinner in the United Kingdom.

Cranberry open-in-new

Cranberry