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State Symbols
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Official state symbols represent the cultural heritage
and natural treasures of each state or the entire United States |
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Massachusetts Symbols
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Children's Author and Illustrator,
Children's Book,
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Donut,
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Massachusetts State Beverage
Cranberry Juice
(Vaccinium macrocarpon)
Adopted on May 4, 1970.
Cranberry Juice, Vaccinium macrocarpon, 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.
Massachusetts Legislature
CHAPTER 2. ARMS, GREAT SEAL AND OTHER EMBLEMS OF THE COMMONWEALTH
Section 10 Beverage of commonwealth
Section 10. Cranberry juice shall be the beverage of the commonwealth
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.
Taxonomic Hierarchy
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| Kingdom |
Plantae -- Plants |
| Subkingdom |
Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants |
| Superdivision |
Spermatophyta – Seed plants |
| Division |
Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants |
| Class |
Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons |
| Subclass |
Dilleniidae – |
| Order |
Ericales – |
| Family |
Ericaceae – Heath family |
| Genus |
Vaccinium |
| Species |
Vaccinium macrocarpon |
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State Symbols
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State symbols represent things that are special to a
particular state.
symbol \ˈsim-bəl\
noun
Etymology:
in sense 1, from Late Latin symbolum, from Late Greek symbolon, from Greek, token, sign; in
other senses from Latin symbolum token, sign, symbol, from Greek symbolon, literally, token
of identity verified by comparing its other half, from symballein to throw together,
compare, from syn- + ballein to throw — more at devil
Date: 15th century
1: Something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or
convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible.
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