Vaccinium vitis-idaea is a moorland or mountain plant and is often quite small and hidden in the grass. The fruit is supposed to taste sour or tart but has been collected and used as a sauce for eating with meat particularly game. Recently commercial cultivation of this plant has started in the United States. Vaccinium vitis-idaea is found in the Arctic tundra as well as here in the British Isles and Ireland. It is also known as Lingonberry.

Vaccinium vitis-idaea is common in Scotland, the hills of northern England and north west Wales but being a plant of the high mountains or moorland is very rare in central and southern England. In Ireland it is mostly found in the north.

LHS: Woods by Loch Morlich, Scotland, 6Th June 2006 RHS: Whitewell, Scotland 17th July 2007

Added on February 5th 2005, updated 19th February 2012