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    Lingonberry

    Common · Vaccinium vitis-idaea

    Healing · Alchemical · Nutritional

    Terrain Arctic/Tundra, Forest, Swamp/Marsh

    Description

    A small shrub with creeping rhizomes and upright, branching stems. The leaves are leathery, evergreen, alternate, obovate, rounded, or elliptical. Dark green and shiny on the upper side, lighter green with brown spots on the underside. The flowers are small, drooping, snow-white—like porcelain—or slightly pinkish. The corolla is bell-shaped with four outwardly curved lobes. The fruit is a spherical, red, juicy berry when ripe. These berries are familiar to many people— they have a refreshing and pleasant sweetand-sour taste. They are attractive in their own way, despite lacking intense sweetness or aroma.

    Location and Habitat

    Lingonberry is a widely distributed plant found in coniferous and mixed forests, tundra, bogs, and forest edges in the northern regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. In forests, lingonberry typically reaches 6–10 inches (15–25 cm) in height.

    Rarity and Availability

    It is not considered a rare species and is readily available for harvesting in the wild. Lingonberry is actively collected both as a berry and as medicinal raw material.

    Effects and Uses

    Lingonberry is used as an antiseptic; tinctures from lingonberry leaves are used in cases of poisoning to mitigate the negative effects of toxins.

    Harvesting & Preparation

    • Where to Find It. Lingonberry thrives in cool, northern climates— coniferous or mixed forests, forest edges, bogs, and tundra. Locating its distinctive red berries or evergreen leaves typically requires a DC 10 Wisdom (Survival) check or Intelligence (Nature) check in the right region.
    • Harvesting.
      • Berries. Gathering a handful (enough for 1-2 uses) involves a DC 12 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check to avoid crushing them.
      • Leaves. Carefully pruning leaves for medicinal use is a DC 12 Wisdom (herbalism kit) check. A success provides 1d4 bundles of leaves.

    Items & Effects

    • Lingonberry Tincture. A quick remedy for mitigating toxins.
      • Creation. Requires gently simmering 1 bundle of fresh lingonberry leaves in water for 1 hour. A DC 12 Wisdom (herbalism kit) check yields 1d2 doses of tincture.
      • Use (Ingested).
        • Toxic Ward. The creature gains advantage on the next saving throw against poison or disease made within 8 hours. After 8 hours, the effect ends if not used.
        • Minor Refresh. Once during that 8-hour duration, if the creature is subject to the poisoned (PHB, p. 292) condition and succeeds on its saving throw, it regains 1d4 hit points.
      • Limit. A creature cannot benefit from more than one dose of Lingonberry Tincture in a single day. Additional doses provide no extra effect.
    • Lingonberry Jam. A sweet-and-sour concoction made from ripe berries, often used for travel rations.
      • Creation. Takes 2 hours of cooking with sugar or honey, requiring 3—4 handfuls of berries. A DC 13 Wisdom (cook’s utensils) check produces 1 small jar (4 servings).
      • Use.
        • Soothing Flavor. During a short rest, eating one serving of this jam grants the consumer an extra 1d4 hit points at the end of the rest (once per creature per rest).
        • Refreshing Taste. For the next hour, the consumer has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to notice natural terrain hazards such as quicksand or poisonous plants.
    • Mount Ida’s Vine. An old tradition suggests that a special blend of lingonberry leaves, berries, and local herbs—steeped under a full moon—carries the blessings of Cybele, goddess of fertility and wild nature.
      • Creation. Requires 3 bundles of leaves, 3 handfuls of berries, and rare herbs worth 25 gp. Brewed overnight (8 hours). A DC 15 Wisdom (herbalism kit) or Wisdom (Religion) check is needed.
      • Use (Ingested—Ritual Feast).
        • Vitality Surge. For 24 hours, the creature’s Constitution score increases by 2, to a maximum of 22; its hit point maximum increases accordingly for the duration.
    • Evergreen Salve. Particularly potent leaves and berries can be ground into a thick paste. Traditionally used to treat scrapes and minor infections in the wild.
      • Creation. A DC 12 Wisdom (herbalism kit) check, taking 1 hour per salve. Requires 1 bundle of leaves and 1 handful of berries. Each success creates 1 jar (2 uses).
      • Use (Applied Externally).
        • Prevent Infection. Applying the salve to a fresh wound grants advantage on any saving throw made in the next 24 hours to resist disease or infection caused by that wound (such as from a beast with diseased claws).
        • Healing Aroma. Each use also allows the recipient to gain 1 temporary hit point as the salve soothes minor nagging pains.

    Lore

    According to one version, the Latin name for lingonberry—Vaccinium vitis-idaea—derives from the genus name Vaccinium, which appears in the works of many Roman authors (Pliny, Virgil, Ovid). The species name vitis-idaea consists of two words: vitis, meaning "grapevine," and idaea, meaning "growing on Mount Ida." The name vitis-idaea first appeared in the works of the Dutch botanist Dodoens.

    Lingonberry is one of our few evergreen shrubs. Like the mighty oak, it is a long-lived plant. There is evidence that lingonberries can live up to 100 or 200 years. However, such longevity belongs not to an individual shrub but to an entire clone—that is, many bushes connected underground by rhizomes. This unique colony constantly renews itself: old shrubs die off, new ones appear. An individual shrub, however, lives only about five to seven years, rarely longer.

    There is a legend that the lingonberry is the grapevine from Mount Ida, located on Cyprus. It was believed that the goddess of fertility, Cybele, lived on this mountain. She traveled across it in a chariot, and on her head, she always wore a wreath of vines—in which the lingonberry bloomed and was adorned with berries.

    From Witch’s Herbs 5E, p. 68 · Fern Flower Press