Cranberries are a group of
evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the
subgenus Oxycoccus of the genus
Vaccinium. In Britain, cranberry may refer to the native species
Vaccinium oxycoccos, while in North America, cranberry may refer to
Vaccinium macrocarpon.
Vaccinium oxycoccos is cultivated in central and northern Europe, while
Vaccinium 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. They can be found in
acidic bogs throughout the cooler regions of the
northern hemisphere.
