Lingonberry |
| General |
| Common Name | Lingonberry |
| Latin Name | Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. ssp. minus (Lodd.) Hultén |
| Category | Fruits |
| Family | Vaccinium |
| Variety | |
| Visual Traits |
| Flower | spring, lasting less than one month |
| Foliage/Fall leaf color | evergreen, purple in fall |
| Fruit | bright to dark red, globose; ripens 2-3months after full bloom |
| Height | 2-6in |
| Spread | creeping shrub |
| Cultivation |
| Cultivation and Mulching | bees and bee flies; self or cross-pollination; yields better with cross-pollination |
| Harvest | bitter before frost exposure; hand-harvest with comb-sieves or rakes |
| Pollination | mulch, milled peat; yield increased with reduced competition |
| Propagation method | tissue culture, seed, stem or rhizome cuttings, divisions |
| Seed treatment and storage | cold stratification up to 5mos at 32-42ºF; germinate within 2weeks-2months after exposure to warm temps in light or dark |
| Softwood cuttings | late June to early July; root in peat-perlite mix |
| Sowing seed | best results if seeds are immediately sown upon harvest; or sow |
| Transplant | early spring or fall; must protect new transplants against frost-heaving; success of tranplant divisions varies 30-90% |
| Watering guidelines | require even supply of moisture |
| Soils |
| Fertility / quality | low fertility, high organic matter |
| Minerals | low calcium |
| Moisture and drainage | tolerates wet and dry sites |
| pH | 4-4.9 (6) |
| Soils and topography | rocky ledges, barrens, bogs, moist to dry coniferous woods; prefers peat over mineral soils |
| Growth Pattern |
| Fruit bearing age / full crop load | 3-4y / 5-10y |
| Growth rate | slow |
| Root habit | variable, fibrous and shallow to long taproot; spread via rhizomes |
| Habitat and Climate |
| Exposure | native to exposed sites in warmer part of range; south-facing rock crevices in colder climates |
| Fire tolerance | very tolerant |
| Hardiness Zone | 5 |
| Native Range | North America, Eurasia, Japan |
| Rainfall / humidity | 8-12" in native range |
| Wind / ice / frost susceptibility | temperatures below 26-30°F may destroy 50% flowers, buds, unripe fruit, or kill exposed plants |
| Light |
| Light recommendation | full sun |
| Shade tolerance | tolerant; fruit-set variable in shaded systems across range |
| Vegetation Associations |
| Competitive ability | competive in early and mid-successional stages; weak competitor in established systems |
| Special Notes |
| Note 1 | plant 90% preferred variety with 10% second choice |