Side by side
American cranberry or cowberry? How to tell them apart
Vaccinium macrocarpon · Vaccinium vitis-idaea
How to tell them apart – American cranberry: creeping, evergreen dwarf shrub with small, glossy leaves, pink flowers with swept-back petals and large red berries; cowberry: upright little bushes with gland dots under the leaves, white bells and berries in clusters.
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How do you recognise them?
- American cranberry
- Creeping, evergreen dwarf shrub with small, glossy leaves, pink flowers with swept-back petals and large red berries.
- Cowberry
- Evergreen dwarf shrub with small, glossy, leathery leaves, white bells and clusters of red berries.
- Compared with American cranberry: upright little bushes with gland dots under the leaves, white bells and berries in clusters.
| American cranberry | Cowberry | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, elliptic, 0.5–1.5 cm, leathery, glossy green with a slightly rolled edge; reddish-brown in winter. | Alternate, oval, 1–3 cm, leathery, glossy dark green with a slightly rolled edge; paler underneath, with dark gland dots. |
| Flowering | Pink flowers (1 cm) with 4 swept-back petals and a beak of stamens, June–July (June–July). | White to pink bells (5–8 mm) in short, nodding clusters at the tips, May–June (May–June). |
| Fruit | Glossy red, sour berries (1–2 cm), September–October. | Glossy red, sour berries (5–10 mm) in clusters, August–October. |
| Bark | Thin, trailing stems up to 1–2 m long that root at the nodes, with short, upright side shoots. | Thin, upright stems growing from creeping underground runners. |
| Shape and height | Dwarf shrub, 10–20 cm, with long creeping stems | Dwarf shrub, 10–30 cm |
| Site | Full sun, acid soil, moist to wet | Sun or partial shade, acid soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | No, planted | Yes |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | – | – |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | March–April | March–April |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Cowberry is native: it feeds more insects and birds than a non-native species. If in doubt, choose this one.
Read on
- Plant profile: American cranberry
- Plant profile: Cowberry
- American cranberry: when and how to prune
- Cowberry: when and how to prune
- Identification key
Also looks like
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.