Introduction :: Info about berries :: Types of berries :: Excursion :: Pictures :: Sources

Mountain cranberry is a little bush, which belongs in the heather family with long-lasting, "leatherish", leaves, with white flowers and acidulous berries. It’s most common in pine forest and in heather moors. The berries are red. Mountain cranberry is probably one of the most important berries in Norway. They’re easy to save and are collected in great numbers. They are mostly used together with meat. Mountain cranberries contain an acid called benzoacid (E 210), which makes them fresh in a much longer period. In the old days, Mountain cranberries were also used as medicine. The juice was a good remedy against fever.

Rowanberries are red, and very acidulously. They are fond everywhere in Norwegian forests, even in the mountains. The Moose are very fond of Rowanberries and eat lot in the winter. Rowanberries were used as a remedy against gout. The branches are used for wood articles, tool shafts, drawing articles etc.

The strawberry plant has its roots in the rose family. The strawberry plant has three coupled leaves, positioned like a rose. The plant has crawling offshoots, which you find above the ground. It has also white flowers, with many draggers and fruit materials. In every flower small nuts are made. They sit on a swollen and juicy floral receptacle, which is the edible part in the strawberry. In Norway there are about 15 different kinds of strawberries, where two of them are found in the free nature. These two are called "markjordbær" and "nakkebær".

The raspberry plant belongs to the rose family. The plant grows to be about a meter tall. It has leaves that are shaped like a fin. The leaves are also smooth underneath. The plant has white flowers and red, or very rare yellow fruits. The fruit is a collection of stone fruits. In Norway you usually find the raspberry plant in the forest and on rocky places up to the north to Troms and Porsanger.

Blackberry

Rubus fruticösus

The Blackberries belongs to a group called Rubus in the Rose family. The bush on the Blackberries looks like the bush on the raspberry, but the berries on the Blackberry bush is black or dark red. In Norway we have 20-25 different kinds of Blackberries. These species are most widespread in the southern part of the country. The most common species of Blackberry we have in Norway is called the forest blackberry.

The leaf on the Blackberry has been used to cure diarrhea.

Vaccinium unliginösum

Whortleberry belongs to the heatherfamily Ericäceae.

This is a small bush that can be up to 3-7 dm high. Whortleberry likes to be in peatbog, in damp forests and on dry moutainareas. The berries on this bush are blue, and the leaf is green.

The crowberry belongs to the crowberry family Emperäceae.

This is a small heather species that can be up to 1-2 dm high. This heater species likes to be in the forest, in the bog and on the upland.

This plant has no leaves, but it has green needles, and the berries are dark red. When the berries are fully mature, they get a black colour.

The juniper berry is similar to cones in shape and becomes blue-black after 2-3 years on the bush or tree. The mother bush or tree is evergreen and has needlelike leaves, grouped in threes. Juniper is the most widespread coniferous tree on earth. In Norway it grows in mountainous areas and is common in forests on dry soil. The bushes can become 10 meters high. In the old days the berries were used as a remedy against stomach aches, tooth aches and contaminated blood. To day they are used in medicines against cystorrhea, acne, eczema, cellulites and arthritis. They are also used as flavour in brandy (gin and others)

Family: Cupressaceas

You can find them on the bird tree, they grow as single trees all over Norway. The leaves are small and saw-toothed, the flowers are white and the fruit is a black stone fruit and tastes bitter. The tree will not exceed 15 meters, but is very thick(up to 80 cm in diameter).

The fruit can be used in wine and liqueur. It can also be eaten with sugar.

The berry stone is used to make bitter almond oil.

Family: Rosefamily

Grows on dwarfbushes, that become about 2-3 dm. The branch is green and sharp stem, the leaves are saw-toothed, and fall in autumn. The plant has white flowers white red-bluish colour and juicy berries. You can find them all over Norway, where the land is low, especially in woods and mountainous areas (1 700 m over the ocean).

Blueberries have remedy against diarrhoea, but have low nutritional value. Dry berries are used in medicines.

Family: Heatherfamily