Highbush Cranberry
June 14, 2024
Walking around the backyard I am often surprised by new discoveries I had not noticed before. The other day I was walking around the backyard with my camera taking random photos of anything that caught my interest. A flash of white happened to catch my eye in an area I didn’t remember seeing flowers before. So, I made my way over to investigate. To my delight, I found a very young Highbush Cranberry (Viburnum opulus var. americanum) growing just at the edge of the backyard.
The highbush cranberry I found is very young. This year it only has two flower clusters and is relatively short, about 5 feet tall. It only has a single stem this year and its branches only spread out a few feet. So, what will this shrub be like when it fully matures? What makes the highbush cranberry so special?
Let’s explore and find out!
What does Highbush Cranberry look like?
The Highbush Cranberry (Viburnum opulus var. americanum) is a large, spreading bush in the honeysuckle family (also known as the Caprifoliaceae family). It can grow from eight to fifteen feet tall and eight to ten feet wide. It is made up of multiple arching stems that form a dense, rounded bush. The stems are smooth and gray.
The leaves of the highbush cranberry look similar to maple leaves. They are simple, dark green three-lobed leaves with serrated edges. The leaves grow opposite of each other and are about three inches across. The surface of the leaves has a slightly wrinkled appearance to it and the veins are slightly impressed into the leaf. The top of the petiole is red in color and the bottom is green. The petiole is grooved on the red side and has two raised glands near the base of the leaf. When you feel the leaves, they feel soft and almost fuzzy. In the fall the leaves turn red-purple or yellow-red.
The flowers of the highbush cranberry are large, showy, and beautiful. They are flat-topped clusters of white flowers that bloom in June here in New Hampshire. The flower clusters are two to three inches across. They consist of two types of flowers. The outer ring of flowers are larger, showier sterile flowers about three quarter inches in diameter. The inner cluster of flowers are tiny white fertile flowers that attract various pollinators including butterflies, moths, hoverflies, bees, and more.
The highbush cranberry produces clusters of red, juicy berries that ripen from August to September. Each berry is about one third of an inch in diameter and contain a single hard seed. The berries are edible and taste a lot like cranberries.
Where is Highbush Cranberry found?
Highbush Cranberry is widespread across the northern part of North America. It can be found from British Columbia east to Newfoundland, south to Washington State then east to northern Virginia.
Highbush Cranberry grows moist places such as in swampy woods, bogs, lake margins, along rivers and streams, wooded hillsides, woody thickets, meadows, and pastures.
Why is Highbush Cranberry important?
I noticed there are more highbush cranberry bushes along the road where I live. These bushes are much more mature with a lot of flowers and many more stems. As I watched these bushes, I noticed birds moving among the branches. Bees, butterflies, and other pollinators landed on the flowers and moved from flower to flower. Another bush was missing many of its leaves. On closer inspection, I found that the tips of the branches and most of the leaves had been browsed off by a deer.
The highbush cranberry provides many benefits to wildlife. The flowers provide food to pollinators such as butterflies, flies, bees, moths, and various other insects. Spiders and other invertebrate predators use the flowers and leaves as hunting grounds for the pollinators. Birds and other animals will feed on the ripe berries in the fall and during the winter. Browsing animals like deer and moose enjoy a nibble of the leaves and twigs on occasion as well. Even people use highbush cranberries in gardening and sometimes as food.
Wait, people use Highbush Cranberries?
Yes! People can and do make use of the highbush cranberry. The dense, showy bushes make a good screening hedge if placed in the right location. Highbush cranberry can also be used in garden areas that need a big, showy bush. The fruits are edible both raw and cooked. They have a tart, acidic flavor very similar to cranberries. The berries do taste better when cooked than they do raw. People use the fruits to make jellies, jams, preserves, sauces, and juice. Pretty much anything that you can do with cranberries, you can also do with the fruit of the highbush cranberry.
An invasive problem
Many years ago, a European version of the Highbush Cranberry (Viburnum opulus var. americanum) was brought to North America. This European version has been spreading from Canada ever since. There is very little difference between the invasive European highbush cranberry and the highbush cranberry native to North America. From what I understand, the European species has fruit that is not very edible. Also, the little glands at the base of the leaves are a different shape. If you are going to harvest the fruit of the highbush cranberry, you will want to make sure you are harvesting from the North American native!
There is another invasive species that is affecting the native highbush cranberry. The Viburnum Leaf Beetle (Pyrrhalta vibuni) is an invasive beetle introduced from Europe. Both the adult beetles and their larvae feed on the leaves of the highbush cranberry. They are capable of stripping all of the leaves from the entire bush. The highbush cranberry will more than likely survive the beetle infestation and grow new leaves the next spring, but repeated infestations can do lasting damage to the bush. You can find more information about the Viburnum Leaf Beetle here: Viburnum Leaf Beetle - UMass Extension.
References:
1. Alden, Peter et al. National Audubon Society Field Guide to New England. Alfred A Knopf Inc, New York, USA 1st edition. 1998
2.”HIGH-BUSH CRANBERRY - VIBURNUM OPULUS var. AMERICANUM.” Urban Forestry Outreach & Reseach The UFOR Nursery & Lab. University of Minnesota. HIGH-BUSH CRANBERRY - VIBURNUM OPULUS var. AMERICANUM | The UFOR Nursery & Lab (umn.edu). Accessed June 10, 2024.
3.”Highbush Cranberry (not a true cranberry).” The University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Highbush Cranberry (not a true cranberry) - Cooperative Extension: Cranberries - University of Maine Cooperative Extension (umaine.edu). Accessed June 10, 2024.
