Cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea)

Edibility:Edible

Eating notes: Too sour to be eaten raw. Can be made into jam or sauces to accompany game.

Cowberry is a bush of wet heathlands. More common in the north. It is a relative of the Cranberry and the Bilberry.

Height: 25 - 40cm

Leaves: Oval or club-shaped, with a notch at the tip and slightly down-rolled edges. They grow along the stems in alternate opposite pairs

Flowers: White or pale pink. The four petals of the flowers fuse together into a bell-shape with the tips of each petal curling-up around the base of each flower. The flowers appear in small clusters.

Stems: Short compact plant. New growth is green, older stems brown.

Fruit: Fruit ripen from green to bright red. In shape, they resemble Bilberries.