- The yellow-leaved cultivar Empetrum nigrum 'Lucia'
- Vaccinium vitis-idaea and Empetrum nigrum in Denali
- Alaskan crowberry
Black crowberry | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Ericales |
Family: | Ericaceae |
Genus: | Empetrum |
Species: | E. nigrum |
Binomial name | |
Empetrum nigrum | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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Empetrum nigrum, crowberry, [3] black crowberry, mossberry, or, in western Alaska, Labrador, etc., blackberry, is a flowering plant species in the heather family Ericaceae with a near circumboreal distribution in the Northern Hemisphere. It is usually dioecious, but there is a bisexual [4] tetraploid subspecies, Empetrum nigrum subsp. hermaphroditum, which occurs in more northerly locations and at higher altitude. [5] [6]
Empetrum nigrum is a low growing, evergreen shrub with a creeping habit. [7] The leaves are 3–6 millimetres (1⁄8–1⁄4 inch) long, arranged alternately along the stem. The stems are red when young and then fade to brown. It blooms between May and June. [8] The flowers are small and not very noticeable, [7] with greenish-pink sepals that turn reddish purple. [9] The round fruits are drupes, 4–6 mm (1⁄8–1⁄4 in) wide, usually black or purplish-black but occasionally red. [10]
The metabolism and photosynthetic parameters of Empetrum can be altered in winter-warming experiments. [11]
The species has a near circumboreal distribution in the Northern Hemisphere.[ citation needed ] It is also native in the Falkland Islands. [14] [15]
Evolutionary biologists have explained the striking geographic distribution of crowberries as a result of long-distance migratory birds dispersing seeds from one pole to the other. [16]
Empetrum nigrum grows in acidic soils in shady, moist areas.
The moth species Glacies coracina , Zygaena exulans , and Hadula melanopa feed on the plant. [8]
The fruit is edible and can be dried. [17] However, it has an acidic taste. It is abundant in Scandinavia and treasured for its ability to make liqueur, wine, juice, or jelly. In subarctic areas, the plant has been a vital addition to the diet of the Inuit and the Sami. The Dena'ina (Tanaina) harvest it for food, sometimes storing in quantity for winter, sometimes mixed with lard or oil.
The species can also be grown as a ground cover, [18] or as an ornamental plant in rock gardens, notably the yellow-foliaged cultivar 'Lucia'. The fruit is high in anthocyanin pigment and can be used to make a natural dye. [18]
The Scottish Highlands Clan Maclean's badge is believed to be E. nigrum; cuttings of it would be raised on standards to denote clan identity and allegiance.
Chives, scientific name Allium schoenoprasum, is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae that produces edible leaves and flowers.
Berberis aquifolium, the Oregon grape or holly-leaved barberry, is a species of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae, native to western North America. It is an evergreen shrub growing 1–3 meters tall and 1.5 m (5 ft) wide, with pinnate leaves consisting of spiny leaflets, and dense clusters of yellow flowers in early spring, followed by dark bluish-black berries.
Empetrum is a genus of three species of dwarf evergreen shrubs in the heath family, Ericaceae. They are commonly known as crowberries and bear edible fruit. Species of Empetrum include: E. nigrum (crowberry) and its tetraploid subspecies E. nigrum ssp. hermaphroditum, E. eamesii and E. rubrum.
Lonicera japonica, known as Japanese honeysuckle and golden-and-silver honeysuckle, is a species of honeysuckle native to East Asia, including many parts of China. It is often grown as an ornamental plant, but has become an invasive species in a number of countries. It is used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Alnus incana, the grey alder, tag alder or speckled alder, is a species of multi-stemmed, shrubby tree in the birch family, with a wide range across the cooler parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Tolerant of wetter soils, it can slowly spread with runners and is a common sight in swamps and wetlands.
Rubus parviflorus, commonly called thimbleberry, is a species of Rubus native to northern temperate regions of North America. The plant has large hairy leaves and no thorns. It bears edible red fruit similar in appearance to a raspberry, but shorter, almost hemispherical. It has not been commercially developed for the retail berry market, but is cultivated for landscapes.
Linnaea borealis is a species of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae. It is the only species in the genus Linnaea. It is a boreal to subarctic woodland subshrub, commonly known as twinflower.
Mossberry is a common name for several plants and may refer to:
Armeria maritima, the thrift, sea thrift or sea pink, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plumbaginaceae. It is a compact evergreen perennial which grows in low clumps and sends up long stems that support globes of bright pink flowers. In some cases purple, white or red flowers also occur. It is a popular garden flower and has been distributed worldwide as a garden and cut flower. It does well in gardens designed as xeriscapes or rock gardens. The Latin specific epithet maritima means pertaining to the sea or coastal.
Berberis vulgaris, also known as common barberry, European barberry or simply barberry, is a shrub in the genus Berberis native to the Old World. It produces edible but sharply acidic berries, which people in many countries eat as a tart and refreshing fruit.
Ribes sanguineum, the flowering currant, redflower currant, red-flowering currant, or red currant is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Grossulariaceae, native to the western United States and Canada.
Mentha arvensis, the corn mint, field mint, or wild mint, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae. It has a circumboreal distribution, being native to the temperate regions of Europe and western and central Asia, east to the Himalaya and eastern Siberia, and North America. Mentha canadensis, the related species, is also included in Mentha arvensis by some authors as two varieties, M. arvensis var. glabrata Fernald and M. arvensis var. piperascens Malinv. ex L. H. Bailey.
Veratrum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Melanthiaceae. It occurs in damp habitats across much of temperate and subarctic Europe, Asia, and North America.
Vaccinium uliginosum is a Eurasian and North American flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae.
Triglochin maritima is a species of flowering plant in the arrowgrass family Juncaginaceae. It is found in brackish marshes, freshwater marshes, wet sandy beaches, fens, damp grassland and bogs. It has a circumboreal distribution, occurring throughout the northern Northern Hemisphere. In the British Isles it is common on the coast, but very rare inland.
Sambucus racemosa is a species of elderberry known by the common names red elderberry and red-berried elder.
Najas marina is a species of aquatic plant known by the common names spiny water nymph, spiny naiad and holly-leaved naiad. It is an extremely widespread species, reported across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, the Americas and many oceanic islands. It can be found in many types of freshwater and brackish aquatic habitat, including bodies of alkaline water.
Sambucus cerulea or Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea, with the common names blue elderberry and blue elder, is a coarse textured shrub species of elder in the family Adoxaceae.
Carex bigelowii is a species of sedge known by the common names Bigelow's sedge, Gwanmo sedge, and stiff sedge. It has an Arctic–alpine distribution in Eurasia and North America, and grows up to 50 centimetres (20 in) tall in a variety of habitats.
Empetrum nigrum subsp. asiaticum, the Korean crowberry, is a subspecies of the flowering plant species Empetrum nigrum in the heather family, Ericaceae. The plant is called siromi (시로미) in Korean and gankōran (岩高蘭) in Japanese.