After pollination, the white (sometimes reddish-tipped) flowers form raspberry-sized aggregate fruits which are more plentiful in wooded rather than sun-exposed habitats.

[6] Consisting of between 5 and 25 drupelets, each fruit is initially pale red, ripening into an amber color in early autumn.

[6] They are present in the English Pennines and the Scottish Highlands, while a single, fragile site exists in the Sperrin Mountains of Northern Ireland.

Further distribution arises through its rhizomes, which are up to 10 metres (33 ft) long and grow about 10–15 cm (4–6 in) below the soil surface, developing extensive and dense berry patches.

[13] The cloudberry grows in bogs, marshes, wet meadows, tundra and elevations of 1,400 m (4,600 ft) above sea level in Norway, requiring acidic ground (between 3.5 and 5 pH).

[citation needed] Due to peatland drainage and peat exploitation, they are considered endangered[6] and are under legal protection in Germany's Weser and Elbe valleys.

[citation needed] Despite great demand as a delicacy (particularly in Sweden, Norway and Finland) the cloudberry is not widely cultivated and is primarily a wild plant.

[citation needed] Finnish self-pollinated 'Nyby' variety is monoecious, i.e. the female and male flowers are located in the same plant unit.

In Finland, the berries are eaten with heated leipäjuusto (a local cheese; the name translates to "bread-cheese"), as well as cream and sugar.

[citation needed] Due to its high vitamin C content,[6] the berry is valued both by Nordic seafarers and Northern indigenous peoples.

Its polyphenol content, including flavonoid compounds such as ellagic acid, appears to naturally preserve food preparations of the berries.

[citation needed] In Nordic countries, traditional liqueurs such as lakkalikööri (Finland) are made of cloudberry,[20] having a strong taste and high sugar content.