MOUNTAIN CRANBERRY 



Vaccinium vitisidaea minus Loddiges 



There is a striking contrast between the deep green of mountain 

 cranberry leaves and the dainty bunches of white bells at the tips of 

 the woody stems. The sweet-scented flowers are frequently tinged 

 with pink. The plant, like other members of the Blueberry Family, 

 delights in acid soil. 



Mountain cranberry grows nearly throughout the colder parts of 

 North America, occurring rarely in New England and southern 

 Canada, but becoming a common plant in high mountain and Arctic 

 lowland regions. It presumably survived the glacial period on some 

 of the non-glaciated islands, and when the ice retreated it rapidly 

 occupied the devastated territory, its seeds being widely dispersed by 

 birds. The typical form of the species is similarly distributed in Europe 

 and Asia. 



The specimen sketched was obtained on the shores of Lake Louise, 

 Alberta, Canada, at an altitude of 5,500 feet. 



PLATE I93 



