LINGONBERRY - THE RED GOLD OF SWEDEN

Lingonberry, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, is a common boreal species, which spreads vegetatively via rhizomes, whereas seedling recruitment rarely has been observed in wild stands. This could lead to the assumption that the species is very homogeneous. Studies of horticultural, morphometric and molecular characters have, however, revealed that substantial variability exist in wild populations. Most of the variation resides within populations, resulting in a weak differentiation between populations. The populations are multiclonal, with some clones reaching at least 20 m. These results on genetic diversity in wild stands give implications for how to collect plant material for breeding purposes.