Vaccinium macrocarpon
Vaccinium macrocarpon is a North American species of cranberry of the subgenus Oxycoccus and genus Vaccinium.Description
Vaccinium macrocarpon is a shrub, often ascending. It produces white or pink flowers followed by sour-tasting red or pink berries across.Distribution
Vaccinium macrocarpon is native to central and eastern Canada and the northeastern and north-central United States. It is also naturalized in parts of Europe and scattered locations in North America along western Canada and the western United States.Human uses
The species is grown commercially as a cash crop for its edible berries. Many of these are grown in artificial ponds called cranberry bogs. There is some evidence suggesting that the berries or their juice could be useful in treating or preventing certain urinary tract infections, but this is not certain yet and thus is not a substitute for medical management. Some research suggests cranberries may suppress asymptomatic Helicobacter pylori colonization, but they seem to be an inferior treatment compared to antibiotic therapy in symptomatic patients.
