HEATH FAMILY 



ERICACE^ HEATH FAMILY 



Vaccinium maerocarpon, Ait. 



White or reddish Large American Cranberry, 



Marsh Cranberry. 

 June-August 



Fruit ripe:' August-October 



Vaccinium: for derivation see corymbosum. 

 Maerocarpon: Greek name meaning long-fruit. 



THE PREFERRED HABITAT: swamps. 



THE VINE: spreading, six inches to one foot long; the stem 

 usually simple, reddish, weak. 



THE LEAVES: numerous; alternate; erect; oblong; hairless 

 on both surfaces; thin; obtuse at both ends; somewhat 

 hairy on the entire margins; pinnately net-veined. 



THE FLOWERS: in a loose cluster, on slender, reddish, 

 slightly hairy stems; the five petals lanceolate, curled 

 backwards; the prominent stamens united below into a 

 purplish-brown base. 



THE FRUIT: a red berry. 



Within recent years, growing cranberries has become 

 such a business enterprise on Nantucket, that the area 

 now covered by the vines under cultivation comprises the 

 largest bogs in the world. This fact is comparatively 

 little known, because, unfortunately, the Nantucket ber- 

 ries are shipped to the markets with the Cape Cod berries 

 and sold under that name. 



Besides these larger bogs, there are many small ones, 

 some under cultivation, but quite a sufficient number in 

 the wild state to allow the Nantucket people to get all 

 the fruit they want for cranberry jelly. 



The most frequent Cranberry on Nantucket is the 

 American (Vaccinium maerocarpon) , which is readily dis- 



284 



