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Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus ''Oxycoccus'' of the genus ''Vaccinium''. In Britain, cranberry may refer to the native species ''Vaccinium oxycoccos'',〔 while in North America, cranberry may refer to ''Vaccinium macrocarpon''. ''Vaccinium oxycoccos'' is cultivated in central and northern Europe, while ''Vaccinium macrocarpon'' is cultivated throughout the northern United States, Canada and Chile. In some methods of classification, ''Oxycoccus'' is regarded as a genus in its own right.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Brooklyn Botanic Garden )〕 They can be found in acidic bogs throughout the cooler regions of the northern hemisphere. Cranberries are low, creeping shrubs or vines up to long and in height;〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=About Cranberries )〕 they have slender, wiry stems that are not thickly woody and have small evergreen leaves. The flowers are dark pink, with very distinct ''reflexed'' petals, leaving the style and stamens fully exposed and pointing forward. They are pollinated by bees. The fruit is a berry that is larger than the leaves of the plant; it is initially white, but turns a deep red when fully ripe. It is edible, with an acidic taste that can overwhelm its sweetness. Cranberries are a major commercial crop in certain American states and Canadian provinces (see cultivation and uses below). Most cranberries are processed into products such as juice, sauce, jam, and sweetened dried cranberries, with the remainder sold fresh to consumers. Cranberry sauce is a traditional accompaniment to turkey at Christmas dinner in the United Kingdom and Thanksgiving dinners in the United States and Canada. Since the early 21st century within the global functional food industry, raw cranberries have been marketed as a "superfruit" due to their nutrient content and antioxidant qualities.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.new-nutrition.com/report/showReport/21 )〕 == Species and description == There are three to four species of cranberry, classified in two sections: ;Subgenus ''Oxycoccus'', sect. ''Oxycoccus'' *''Vaccinium oxycoccos'' or ''Oxycoccus palustris'' (common cranberry, northern cranberry or cranberry) is widespread throughout the cool temperate northern hemisphere, including northern Europe, northern Asia and northern North America. It has small 5–10 mm leaves. The flowers are dark pink, with a purple central spike, produced on finely hairy stems. The fruit is a small pale pink berry, with a refreshing sharp acidic flavour. *''Vaccinium microcarpum'' or ''Oxycoccus microcarpus'' (small cranberry) occurs in northern North America,〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Lakehead University Faculty of Natural Resources Management )〕 northern Europe and northern Asia, and differs from ''V. oxycoccos'' in the leaves being more triangular, and the flower stems hairless. Some botanists include it within ''V. oxycoccos''. *''Vaccinium macrocarpon'' or ''Oxycoccus macrocarpus'' (large cranberry, American cranberry, bearberry) native to northern North America across Canada, and eastern United States, south to North Carolina at high altitudes). It differs from ''V. oxycoccos'' in the leaves being larger, 10–20 mm long, and in its slightly apple-like taste. ;Subgenus ''Oxycoccus'', sect. ''Oxycoccoides'' *''Vaccinium erythrocarpum'' or ''Oxycoccus erythrocarpus'' (southern mountain cranberry) native to southeastern North America at high altitudes in the southern Appalachian Mountains, and also in eastern Asia. Cranberries are related to bilberries, blueberries, and huckleberries, all in ''Vaccinium'' subgenus ''Vaccinium''. These differ in having stouter, woodier stems forming taller shrubs, and in the bell-shaped flowers, the petals not being reflexed. Some plants of the completely unrelated genus ''Viburnum'' are sometimes called "highbush cranberries" (e.g. ''Viburnum trilobum''). Cranberries are susceptible to false blossom, a harmful but controllable phytoplasma disease common in the eastern production areas of Massachusetts and New Jersey. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「cranberry」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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