Lingonberry

Lingonberry – a species of the genus Vaccinium (Vaccinium) from the family Ericaceae (Ericaceae). The name vitis-idaea translates as "the vine of Mount Ida" (the island of Crete). It was first mentioned by the botanist Dodonaeus and the encyclopedist Gesner. The first attempts at cultivation were in 1745. In 1960 the first lingonberry plantations began to be established. It is grown on an industrial scale in Germany, the USA, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, and Russia.

It is an evergreen creeping shrub with ascending branched shoots. It reaches 15-20 cm in height. Externally it resembles bearberry.

Leaves are evergreen, leathery, on short petioles, obovate or elliptic in shape, glossy, with entire margins that are turned down. Leaves reach 2-3 cm in length and 1.5 cm in width; on the lower surface there are small punctate pits containing a club-shaped structure. The wall cells of this structure are filled with a mucilaginous substance that absorbs water. Water wetting the upper surface of the leaf fills these pits and is absorbed.

Flowers are regular, bisexual, grouped 10-20 in pendent dense racemes. The corolla of the flowers is white or pale pink, bell-shaped with four reflexed lobes. The calyx is four-parted. There are 8 stamens. Pistil – 1. Ovary inferior. During flowering the corollas are pendent, which protects the pollen from moisture. Pollen inside the anthers is compact, periodically loosens and is released in portions through small holes located at the ends of the anthers. The pollen is dark gray. It blooms for about 15 days, in late spring to early summer.

Fruits are small sweet-sour red berries. They ripen twice a year: in late July-August and in early September-October. Under the snow they can persist until spring. In cultivation it yields 50-60 kg of berries per one sotka (100 m²) annually.

The rhizome is horizontal, densely interwoven with fungal mycelium that absorbs mineral soil solutions and supplies them to the lingonberry roots.

Hardiness: zone 1. At -4°C flower buds can be damaged.

Cultivars: Rubin, Korall, Red Perl, Mazovia, Kostroma Pink, Miss Cherry.

Habitat: grows in moist and dry coniferous or deciduous forests, in shrubs and on peat bogs. Prefers very acidic (pH 3-5), loose, air- and water-permeable soil (peat, sandy loam, sand or a mixture of sand and peat). Does not tolerate clay and heavy soils, nor waterlogging. Groundwater level should be not less than 40 cm. Fruits well in sunny locations with adequate watering.

Planting: best performed in late autumn or in late April – early May. Soil mix – river sand, top peat, sawdust from coniferous species (for 5 parts peat add 2 parts sand). Do not add compost or manure. Planting scheme: 30 x 30 cm. After planting the plant should be watered and mulched with conifer bark or litter.

Pruning: in early spring perform sanitary and rejuvenation pruning – shorten bushes by one third to one half of their height.

Care: requires sulfur fertilization – apply 50 g of sulfur per 1 sq. m. After the start of fruiting mineral fertilizers can be applied. Requires watering during dry periods. Weeding, loosening and mulching of the soil are recommended.

Diseases and pests: affected by the fungi Melampsora goeppertiana and Exobasidium vaccinii.

Propagation: by seeds, green cuttings (begins to fruit in the 2nd year), hardwood cuttings, division of the bush.

Uses: Berries are eaten fresh, used for making jam, marinades, candies, extracts, fruit drinks, and for candying. In medicine, leaves and shoots are used as a diuretic and disinfectant. Berries are also eaten by birds and animals. Good nectar source for bees. In landscape design used to decorate pathways, compose plantings, and to green recreation areas.