Cranberries Can Bounce, Float And Pollinate Themselves: The Saucy Science Of A Thanksgiving Classic

Cranberries grow on vines in sandy bogs and marshes.

By Serina DeSalvio, Texas A&M
Nov 18, 2023 6:00 AMNov 18, 2023 2:00 PM
cranberry-bush-wild
(Credit:Irina Green 27/Shutterstock)

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Cranberries are a staple in U.S. households at Thanksgiving – but how did this bog dweller end up on holiday tables?

Compared to many valuable plant species that were domesticated over thousands of years, cultivated cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) is a young agricultural crop, just as the U.S. is a young country and Thanksgiving is a relatively new holiday. But as a plant scientist, I’ve learned much about cranberries’ ancestry from their botany and genomics.

New on the plant breeding scene

Humans have cultivated sorghum for some 5,500 yearscorn for around 8,700 years and cotton for about 5,000 years. In contrast, cranberries were domesticated around 200 years ago – but people were eating the berries before that.

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