Cloudberry

Tags: Berries, Matauk Description: The cloudberry grows on bogs. Its leaves are dark green and lobed with five to seven lobes. The plant has a single white flower, and the male and female flowers grow on separate plants. Only the female plants produce the characteristic, often attractive fruit. The fruit is hard and red at first, and as it ripens it turns orange, soft and juicy. It has to be picked by hand, since it is too soft and fragile to be picked with a berry picker. Because the cloudberry grows in bog, it has special air channels that run down to the roots so that they can get oxygen. Use: For dessert, jam, or simply eaten as they are. Cloudberries are rich in vitamin C and A and also contain a fair amount of minerals. They have therefore been a good remedy against scurvy and colds. Sailors would therefore often bring a few barrels of cloudberries with them on long voyages. Habitat type: Mountains, water and bog Edible: Yes Equipment: A tin or similar to keep the berries in. Written by: Lærke Stewart

Cloudberry. Photo: Hilde Grøtte

Cloudberries. Photo: Hilde Grøtte

Cloudberries. Photo: Hilde Grøtte

Next steps

• Bilberry — another berry
• Cranberry — another berry
• Foraging — berry foraging
• Food from nature — wild plants — preparation
• Plants — the hub

Learn more

• Artsdatabanken — species, status, Red List
• SNL — Norwegian botany — encyclopaedic
• Sopp- og Nyttevekstforbundet — courses and mushroom inspection
• Botanisk forening — Norwegian botany community