American Cranberrybush

General
Scientific Name: Viburnum opulus var. americanum (formerly V. trilobum)
Family: Adoxaceae (Moschatel)
Hardiness: Zone 2
Leaves: Deciduous
Plant Type: Shrub

Growth
Rate: Medium
Mature Height: >7’
Longevity: Medium
Power Line: Yes

Ornamental
Flowers: White
Fruit: Red
Fall Color: Red

American cranberrybush (also known as highbush cranberry) is native to swampy woods, bogs, lake margins, pastures, thickets, slopes and moist low places from New Brunswick to British Columbia south to New York, the Great Lakes, South Dakota and Oregon. It is a large, leggy, poorly branched shrub that is typically found in wooded, usually moist areas. In cultivation it may assume a fully-branched, reasonably dense form. Excellent orange-red fall color and red fruits.

Light: Full sun to part shade.
Water: Medium.
Soil: Tolerates a wide range of soils.

A wide selection of cultivars are available in a variety of forms in the nursery industry. Berries are edible and can be eaten straight off the plant or used in jams or jellies. A spring blooming plant, American cranberrybush should be pruned after blooming in order to ensure more flowers next year.

Photo Credit:

Joseph Zeleznik, Ph.D., Extension Forester

American Cranberrybush

Photo Credit:

Joseph Zeleznik, Ph.D., Extension Forester

American Cranberrybush

Photo Credit:

Joseph Zeleznik, Ph.D., Extension Forester

American Cranberrybush