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Alaska Wildflowers and Berries

Wild berries growing in Alaska
Photo: mypubliclands, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fortymile_Wild_and_Scenic_River,_Alaska_(36497855251).jpg)

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The wild berries and flowers of Alaska’s forests and tundra.

Alaska’s wild berries include blueberry, lowbush cranberry, crowberry, salmonberry, cloudberry, raspberry, nagoonberry and highbush cranberry. They grow across forest, tundra and bog, and alongside the pink spires of fireweed they are among the state’s best-known plants.[1][2]

Wild berries growing in Alaska
Wild berries growing in Alaska. Photo: mypubliclands / Public domain.
Alaska blueberryVaccinium uliginosum
Lowbush cranberry (lingonberry)Vaccinium vitis-idaea
SalmonberryRubus spectabilis
CloudberryRubus chamaemorus
NagoonberryRubus arcticus

Berries

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension lists Alaska blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum), lowbush cranberry or lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea), crowberry (Empetrum nigrum), salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus), American red raspberry (Rubus idaeus), nagoonberry (Rubus arcticus), highbush cranberry (Viburnum edule) and watermelon berry (Streptopus amplexifolius). It also lists red huckleberry, serviceberry, wild strawberry, currants and gooseberry.[1]

Fireweed

Fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium) has four magenta to pink petals and stems 0.5 to 2 metres tall, and it quickly colonises burned or open ground.[2]

FAQs

Which wild berries grow in Alaska? Blueberry, lowbush cranberry, crowberry, salmonberry, cloudberry, raspberry, nagoonberry and highbush cranberry, among others.

Is lingonberry the same as lowbush cranberry? Yes, the extension service lists them together.

Where can I learn about harvest times? The extension service points to BLM resources and a wild berries booklet.

Sources

  1. University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension: Wild Berries
  2. Wikipedia: Fireweed

Key facts

  • 9 key berries
  • Fireweed 0.5–2 m
  • Cooperative Extension list
Quick checkIs cloudberry an Alaska berry?Show answer

Yes, Rubus chamaemorus.

Sources

  1. University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension. Wild Berries. 2026 (accessed 2026-11-12)
  2. Wikipedia. Fireweed. 2026 (accessed 2026-11-12)

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 12, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue