Vaccinium vitis-idaea, SE: Lingon, DE: Preiselbeere,
NL: Rode bosbes, UK: Cowberry

Scientific name:		Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.
Swedish name:		Lingon, kröson
German name:		Preiselbeere
Nederlandse naam:		Rode bosbes
English name:		Cowberry, lingonberry
Family:		Ericaceae, Heather family, Ljungväxter

Life form:		Perennial shrub
Leaves:		Leathery, evergreen, oblong with both ends rounded
Flowers:		White bell-shaped flowers
Flowering Period:		May, June
Fruit:		Quite tart berries, almost always cooked and sweetened before eating in the form of lingonberry jam, compote, juice, or syrup
Habitat:		Bogs, marshes

Derivation of the botanical name: Vaccinium, from an old name used in the works of Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro, 70-19 BCE) and Pliny the Elder (Gaius Plinius Secundus, 23-79 CE). vitis-idaea,Ιδα, grape of Mt Ida in Crete where Jupiter was hidden as an infant. The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy. In Sweden and Norway, reindeer and deer steak is traditionally served with gravy and lingonberry sauce; Lingonberry preserve is commonly eaten with meatballs and potatoes.