Massachusetts Berry

Cranberry

(Vaccinium macrocarpon)

Adopted in 1994.

A fifth-grade class on the North Shore adopted the cause of making the Cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon, the official berry of the state. Their two years of lobbying, petitions, and hearings were finally rewarded in July of 1994.

Cranberry Juice was named the beverage of the Commonwealth on May 4, 1970. This was a tribute to the great Massachusetts cranberry industry, which grows one of the largest crops in the world.

American cranberry has a low growing, trailing, and sprawling habit. It can reach 1 to 4 in. tall and spread indefinitely. The evergreen leaves are simple and alternate, reach ¼ to ¾ in. long by 1/10 to 1/3 in. wide, and are light green and maroon colored when young. With maturity, leaves become shiny dark green. Flowering occurs in early to mid-summer, and the flowers, in clusters of four or five, are light pink and 1/3 to ½ in. wide. The fruit is a red berry about 1/3 to 2/3 in. in diameter.

The vines thrive on the special combination of soils and water properties found in wetlands. Wetlands are nature's sponges; they store and purify water and help to maintain the water table.

In Massachusetts we call the place where cranberries grow a BOG. Natural bogs evolved from deposits left by the glaciers more than 10,000 years ago. These deposits were left in impermeable kettle holes lined with clay. The clay prevents materials from leaching into the groundwater.

Rocks and other organic materials were collected by the glaciers. When the ice finally melted deposits of heavy materials were layered on top of the clay.

These kettle holes were filled with water and organic matter which created the ideal environment for cranberries. In the early 1800s Henry Hall, a veteran of the Revolutionary War who lived in Dennis noticed that sand blown in from nearby dunes helped vines grow faster. Today, growers spread a inch or two of sand on their bogs every three years. The sand not only helps the vines grow but also slows the growth of weeds and insects.

Cranberry vines need an inch of water a week to grow. Growers use water to protect cranberries from frost and hot weather in summer.