Mountain cranberry (and more)
Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. [Ericaceae]
Kokemomo [コケモモ, 苔桃]
Lifeform: evergreen shrub
Distribution: circumpolar and circumboreal regions in the northen hemisphere
Habitat: acidic and wet site
There are two subspecies
subsp. minus (G. Lodd.) Hulten (syn. var. minus G. Lodd.)
subsp. vitis-idaea
Vaccinium vitis-idaea var. minus in Alaska
[Left] Carpet of V. vitis-idaea. [Right] Close-up. Red fruits are so popular in Alaska. All photos were taken in Poker Flat Rsearch Range on August 1, 2007. There were numerous fruits in the summer of 2007, but were less in the summer of 2008. The area dominated by Picea mariana was burnt by a wildfire in 2004.