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The differences between lingonberries and cranberries are easy to notice if you look at them more closely. Only at first glance it may seem that these are the same plants, but in reality this is not the case. They have different leaves and fruits that differ in taste and chemical composition, and they have different effects on the body. What exactly are the differences between these two similar berries can be read in this article.
Cranberry-like berry
Both cranberries and lingonberries belong to the same plant family - Ericaceae and are perennial creeping, short shrubs with small oval leaves and round berries, colored red. The first of them is found throughout the Northern Hemisphere and prefers swamps, the second grows in lowland and mountain tundras and in forests - coniferous, deciduous and mixed, and can sometimes be found in peat bogs.
General characteristics
The subgenus Cranberry combines 4 species; the fruits of all these varieties are edible. The Latin name for cranberry comes from the Greek words meaning “sour” and “berry.”It is known that the first European settlers who settled in America gave the cranberry a name that translated means “crane berry” because its blooming flowers resemble the head and long neck of a crane. In other European languages, the name of this plant also comes from the word “crane”. The same American settlers gave cranberries another name - “bear berry”, as they noticed that bears often ate them.
Cranberry is a creeping shrub with flexible, rooting stems 15–30 cm long. Its leaves are alternate, small in size, up to 1.5 cm long and up to 0.6 mm wide, oblong or ovoid in shape, sitting on short petioles. The leaves are dark green above, ash-colored below and covered with a waxy coating. Cranberries bloom with pink or light purple flowers, which usually have 4, but sometimes 5 petals.
In Russia, in its European part, the plant blooms in May or June. Its fruit is a red berry of spherical, ovoid or ellipsoidal shape, approximately 1.5 cm in diameter. Cranberries have a sour taste (the fruit contains 3.4% organic acids and 6% sugars).
Lingonberry is a shrub from the genus Vaccinium. The name of the species – vítis-idaéa – translates as “vine from Mount Ida”. It is also a creeping plant with frequent leathery leaves of an elliptical or obovate shape, with curved edges. Their length ranges from 0.5 to 3 cm. The upper plates of lingonberry leaves are dark green and shiny, the lower ones are light green and matte.
The shoots of the plant can reach a length of 1 m, but usually they grow from 8 to 15 cm. Lingonberry flowers are bisexual, with 4 lobes, white or pale pink, sit on short stalks, collected in drooping racemes of 10–20 pieces. in each.This berry in appearance resembles bearberry, which is also called “bear ears”.
The fruits of lingonberries are spherical, with a shiny red skin, about 0.8 cm in diameter. Their taste is sweet and sour, with a slight bitterness (they contain 2% acids and 8.7% sugars). They ripen in August or September, and after frost they become watery and untransportable. Lingonberry fruits overwinter under snow cover until spring, but easily fall off when touched.
What is the difference between cranberries and lingonberries
It is quite difficult to confuse these two plants, since visually they are similar only in the color of the fruits, but they have more differences - this is the size and shape of the leaves and bush, as well as the fruits themselves. Lingonberries are approximately 2 times smaller in size than cranberries; they can also be distinguished because the fruits grow on tassels located on thin stems.
As you can see, lingonberry-cranberry differences lie in the shape, size and color of leaves and flowers, the size of the berries and their taste, as well as the distribution area of the plants. There are differences between these berries in their chemical composition, which will be discussed below.
Vitamin composition
Cranberries are a juicy berry that consists of 87% water. Per 100 g of product there are 12 g of carbohydrates, 4.6 g of fiber, less than 1 g of proteins and fats. Vitamin compounds in cranberry fruits are presented:
- retinol and carotene;
- substances from group B (B1, B2, B3, B9);
- ascorbic acid (there is no less of it in cranberries than in citrus fruits);
- tocopherol;
- phylloquinone (vitamin K).
Mineral elements in cranberries include Ca, Fe, Mg, Ph, K, Na, Zn, Cu. Of the organic acids, citric acid contains the most, which is why the fruits have a sour taste.Of the carbohydrates, a significant proportion is occupied by simple compounds - glucose and fructose, as well as pectins; there is much less sucrose in it than in lingonberries. The calorie content of cranberries is low - only 28 kcal per 100 g.
Cranberries can be eaten fresh or made into vitamin juices, jelly, fruit drinks, extracts and kvass, and the leaves can be used as a medicinal tea that helps against many diseases. Attention! An interesting feature of this berry is that it can be stored until the next harvest if it is placed in barrels and filled with water.
The chemical composition of lingonberries differs from cranberries in that they contain fewer carbohydrates (8.2 g per 100 g of product), as well as vitamins: they also contain retinol and carotene, vitamins B1, B2 and B3, tocopherols and ascorbic acid, but there are no vitamins B9 and K. The mineral elements in lingonberries are the same as in cranberries, with the exception of zinc and copper. The calorie content of lingonberries is higher than that of cranberries - 46 kcal. You can make the same homemade preparations from them as from cranberries, and you can also eat lingonberries just like that, fresh.
Which is better and healthier: cranberries or lingonberries?
This question cannot be answered unequivocally, since both berries are useful and, when used correctly, even medicinal. For example, cranberries are used for colds, sore throat as an antiviral and antipyretic, for vitamin deficiencies - as an antiscorbutic, as well as for lowering blood pressure, for the treatment of kidney diseases. It regulates cholesterol in the blood - increases the amount of good and reduces the amount of bad. Regular consumption of cranberries enhances the secretory activity of the gastrointestinal tract, normalizes intestinal motility, and prevents the development of flatulence.And one more property of cranberries that is useful for modern people is that it can speed up metabolism, thereby promoting rapid weight loss and weight loss.
Fresh lingonberries are used as a diuretic and laxative, choleretic and anthelmintic, and also as a good antiseptic. It is useful to eat them for vitamin deficiencies, high blood pressure, neuroses, tuberculosis, kidney stones or sand, gastritis with low acidity, congestion in the biliary tract, infections of the genitourinary organs, for pregnant women - to prevent anemia and edema. Lingonberry berries have an antioxidant effect and strengthen blood vessels and cell membranes. During the period of spread of respiratory diseases, they can be an excellent preventive or additional drug in the treatment of infectious or inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system.
In addition to the fruits, lingonberry leaves are also used for treatment. They are brewed and drunk as tea for kidney diseases, urinary tract diseases of an infectious or inflammatory nature, gout, rheumatism, arthritis, other joint diseases, and diabetes. They act as a powerful anti-inflammatory and diuretic agent.
Contraindications
Both cranberries and lingonberries, despite their obvious benefits for the body, also have certain contraindications that must be taken into account when consuming these berries.
For example, if you have gastrointestinal diseases, eating cranberries is not recommended, since its acidity can provoke exacerbations of chronic diseases (especially stomach and duodenal ulcers), as well as cause heartburn. But this does not apply to lingonberries, since they contain less acids.Women should be extremely careful when feeding cranberries while breastfeeding: some of the substances in their composition can cause allergies in the child.
Lingonberries are not recommended for use if you have low blood pressure, as they can cause a sharp decrease in blood pressure and even a hypertensive crisis. A contraindication is also individual intolerance to certain substances that are present in the chemical composition of both berries.
As you can see, in case of some diseases it is better to refrain from eating cranberries and lingonberries, but healthy people who do not have health problems need to be careful, moderate and not eat them in excess. Excessive consumption of the fruits of these plants can provoke an excess of ascorbic acid, which negatively affects tooth enamel, destroys it and can cause the development of dental diseases.
Conclusion
The differences between lingonberries and cranberries are not very significant; in general, they are related plants that are similar in appearance, chemical composition and effect on the body. But still they are not identical, differences exist, and you need to be aware of them when consuming this or that berry for food or plant leaves for medicinal purposes.
