Blueberries and lingonberries
Blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) and lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) are typical dwarf shrubs in the pine forests of the Senne, with the blueberry being much more common. Both types produce tasty fruits. Common heather is another common dwarf shrub. Bogberry (Vaccinium uliginosum) and bell heather (Erica tetralix) are much less common in pine forests. It is noticeable that all of the dwarf shrubs mentioned belong to the heather family.
Even if they are closely related, blueberries and lingonberries are easy to tell apart. The blueberry loses its leaves in autumn, in winter you can only see the wrinkled green stems. The dark green, leathery leaves of the lingonberry stay on the plants through the winter. In spring they can be easily distinguished from the new, light green leaves. The four tips of the petals are clearly visible on the white, bell-shaped flowers of the lingonberry. The blueberry, on the other hand, has reddish, spherical flowers with 5 petals that have grown together up to the top. And the fruits also differ significantly: With the lingonberry they are first white, later bright red; the blueberry produces black-blue fruits.
