Empetrum nigrum

{{Short description|Species of plant in the heather family}} {{For|other shrubs sometimes called "crowberry"|Bearberry}} {{Speciesbox |name = Black crowberry |image = Empetrum nigrum by Maseltov 2.jpg |genus = Empetrum |species = nigrum |authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]<ref name=ipni>''Sp. Pl.'' 2: 1022. 1753 [1 May 1753] {{cite web|url=http://www.ipni.org:80/ipni/idPlantNameSearch.do;jsessionid=F2CFBFD7E35FC281DC585FFC6C2465B8?id=324780-1|title=Plant Name Details for ''Empetrum nigrum''|publisher=[[International Plant Names Index|IPNI]]|access-date=1 December 2009}}</ref> |synonyms= *''Chamaetaxus nigra'' (L.) Bubani *''Empetrum arcticum'' V.N.Vassil. *''Empetrum crassifolium'' Raf. *''Empetrum eamesii'' subsp. ''hermaphroditum'' (Hagerup) D.Löve *''Empetrum hermaphroditum'' Hagerup *''Empetrum hermaphroditum'' var. ''americanum'' V.N.Vassil. *''Empetrum medium'' Carmich. *''Empetrum nigrum'' f. ''cylindricum'' Lepage *''Empetrum nigrum'' var. ''hermaphroditum'' (Hagerup) T.Sørensen *''Empetrum nigrum'' subsp. ''hermaphroditum'' (Hagerup) Böcher *''Empetrum nigrum'' f. ''purpureum'' (Raf.) Fernald *''Empetrum nigrum'' var. ''purpureum'' (Raf.) A.DC. *''Empetrum purpureum'' Raf. |synonyms_ref =<ref>{{cite web |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30371508-2 |title=''Empetrum nigrum'' L. |author= |date=2017 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=11 July 2020 }}</ref> }}

'''''Empetrum nigrum''''', the '''crowberry''',<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Crowberry |volume=7 |page=513}}</ref> '''black crowberry''', '''mossberry''', '''rockberry''', or, in western Alaska, Labrador, etc., '''blackberry''', is a [[flowering plant]] species in the heather family [[Ericaceae]] with a near [[Circumboreal Region|circumboreal]] distribution in the [[Northern Hemisphere]]. The scientific name of the plant comes from the combination of the [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] for {{gloss|upon a rock}} ({{transliteration|grc|en}} = upon + {{transliteration|grc|petros}} = rock) and the Latin for black ({{lang|la|niger}}).<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|title=Crowberry (Empetrum): A Chief Arctic Traditional Indigenous Fruit in Need of Economic and Ecological Management|url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s12229-021-09248-0|journal=The Botanical Review|date=2021-09-01|issn=1874-9372|pages=259–310|volume=87|issue=3|doi=10.1007/s12229-021-09248-0|language=en|first1=Janick|last1=Lorion|first2=Ernest|last2=Small |bibcode=2021BotRv..87..259L |url-access=subscription}}</ref> North American Indigenous names for this species include {{lang|ik|asiavik}} ([[Iñupiaq language|Iñupiaq]]),<ref>{{Cite web|title=Iñupiaq Online|url=https://inupiaqonline.com/|website=inupiaqonline.com|access-date=2025-11-29|language=en}}</ref> {{lang|gwi|dineechʼúh}} ([[Gwichʼin language|Gwichʼin]]),<ref>Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute. ''Gwich’in Topical Dictionary: Gwichyah Gwich’in & Teetl’it Gwich’in Dialects''. (2009). </ref> {{lang|iu|paurngaq}} ([[Inuktut]]),<ref>{{Cite web|title=English Content Search {{!}} Inuit Uqausinginnik Taiguusiliuqtiit|url=https://www.taiguusiliuqtiit.ca/en/node/8873|website=www.taiguusiliuqtiit.ca|access-date=2025-11-29}}</ref> {{lang|tli|xéelʼi}} ([[Tlingit language|Tlingít]]),<ref>{{Cite book|title=Dictionary of Tlingit|last=Edwards|first=Keri|publisher=Sealaska Heritage Institute|year=2009|location=Juneau, Alaska, U.S.A.|isbn=978-0-9825786-6-7}}</ref> {{lang|hai|xa skáawaa}} ([[Haida language|Haida]]),<ref>{{Cite book|title=Dictionary of Alaska Haida|last=Lachler|first=Jordan|publisher=Sealaska Heritage Institute|year=2010|isbn=978-0-9825786-5-0|location=Juneau, Alaska, U.S.A.}}</ref> and {{lang|tfn|ts'nełt'ida}} ([[Denaʼina language|Dena’ina]]).<ref>{{Cite book|title=Kenai Tanaina Noun Dictionary|last=Kari|first=James|publisher=Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks|year=1974}}</ref>

==Description== ''Empetrum nigrum'' is a low growing, [[evergreen]] shrub with a creeping habit.<ref name="CoffinPfannmuller1988">{{cite book|author1=Barbara Coffin|author2=Lee Pfannmuller|title=Minnesota's Endangered Flora and Fauna|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wfWNq91AjeoC|year=1988|publisher=U of Minnesota Press|isbn=978-0-8166-1689-3|page=96}}</ref> The [[leaves]] are {{convert|3-6|mm|abbr=off|frac=8}} long, [[Phyllotaxis|arranged]] alternately along the stem. The stems are red when young and then fade to brown; they grow slowly, around 7 '''–''' 15 cm (3 '''–''' 6 inches) per year<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|title=Nordic Empetrum Dominated Ecosystems: Function and Susceptibility to Environmental Changes|url=http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1579/0044-7447-29.2.90|journal=Ambio: A Journal of the Human Environment|date=March 2000|issn=0044-7447|pages=90–97|volume=29|issue=2|doi=10.1579/0044-7447-29.2.90|language=en|first1=Knud|last1=Tybirk|first2=Marie-Charlotte|last2=Nilsson|first3=Anders|last3=Michelsen|first4=Hanne Lakkenborg|last4=Kristensen|first5=Anna|last5=Shevtsova|first6=Morten|last6=Tune Strandberg|first7=Marianne|last7=Johansson|first8=Knud Erik|last8=Nielsen|first9=Torben|last9=Riis-Nielsen|first10=Beate|last10=Strandberg|first11=Ib|last11=Johnsen |bibcode=2000Ambio..29...90T |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|title=Empetrum Nigrum L.|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2258934|journal=Journal of Ecology|date=1973|issn=0022-0477|pages=289–305|volume=61|issue=1|doi=10.2307/2258934|first1=J. N. B.|last1=Bell|first2=J. H.|last2=Tallis |jstor=2258934 |bibcode=1973JEcol..61..289B |url-access=subscription}}</ref>. This plant can form thick, clonal mats than prevent other plants from overgrowing it.<ref name=":1" />

''Empetrum nigrum'' is usually [[dioecious]], though a few individuals are [[Plant reproductive morphology|bisexual]] and have perfect flowers<ref>{{Cite journal|title=The coexistence of hermaphroditic and dioecious plants is associated with polyploidy and gender dimorphism in Dasiphora fruticosa|journal=Plant Diversity|date=2019-10-01|issn=2468-2659|pmc=6951273|pmid=31934677|pages=323–329|volume=41|issue=5|doi=10.1016/j.pld.2019.06.002|first1=Lin-Lin|last1=Wang|first2=Zhi-Qiang|last2=Zhang|first3=Yong-Ping|last3=Yang|first4=Yuan-Wen|last4=Duan |bibcode=2019PlDiv..41..323W }}</ref>. Because this species is highly clonal, an entire patch may be of a single sex. ''Empetrum nigrum'' flower buds start to develop the summer before they open<ref name=":2" />''',''' blooming the following year between May and June.<ref name="Readers">{{cite book |year=1981|title=Reader's Digest Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of Britain|page=220|publisher=[[Reader's Digest]]|isbn=978-0-276-00217-5}}</ref> The flowers are small (3 '''–''' 6 mm'''),''' have little or no scent and are not very noticeable,<ref name="CoffinPfannmuller1988" /> Flowers consist of 3 greenish-pink sepals that turn reddish purple<ref>{{Cite web|title=Empetrum nigrum in Flora of North America|url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=200012671|access-date=2020-12-30|website=efloras.org}}</ref>, 3 petals, 3 stamens (males) or a pistil with an ovary that contains 6 '''–''' 9 ovules (females).<ref>{{Cite book|edition=2nd|title=Alaska trees and shrubs|publisher=Snowy Owl Books|date=2007|location=Fairbanks, AK|isbn=978-1-889963-86-0|first1=Leslie A.|last1=Viereck|first2=Elbert L.|last2=Little}}</ref>

The round [[fruit]]s are [[berry|berries]], {{convert|4-6|mm|abbr=on|frac=8}} wide, usually black or purplish-black but occasionally red<ref name="jepson">{{cite web|url=http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_IJM.pl?tid=24229|title=Jepson eFlora: ''Empetrum nigrum''|work=[[University and Jepson Herbaria]]|publisher=[[University of California, Berkeley]]|access-date=15 May 2017}}</ref> and contain an average of 7.8 seeds per fruit. The fruits are well-protected against pathogens<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Black Crowberry (Empetrum nigrum L.) Flavonoids and Their Health Promoting Activity|journal=Molecules|date=2016-12-07|issn=1420-3049|pmc=6272966|pmid=27941619|pages=1685|volume=21|issue=12|doi=10.3390/molecules21121685|language=en|first1=Tunde|last1=Jurikova|first2=Jiri|last2=Mlcek|first3=Sona|last3=Skrovankova|first4=Stefan|last4=Balla|first5=Jiri|last5=Sochor|first6=Mojmir|last6=Baron|first7=Daniela|last7=Sumczynski |doi-access=free }}</ref> and as a result can [[Persistence (botany)|persist]] throughout the winter.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|title=Berries in Winter: A Natural History of Fruit Retention in Four Species Across Alaska|url=https://bioone.org/journals/madro%C3%B1o/volume-68/issue-4/0024-9637-68.4.487/BERRIES-IN-WINTER--A-NATURAL-HISTORY-OF-FRUIT-RETENTION/10.3120/0024-9637-68.4.487.full|journal=Madroño|date=2021-12-23|issn=0024-9637|volume=68|issue=4|doi=10.3120/0024-9637-68.4.487|first1=Christa P. H.|last1=Mulder|first2=Katie V.|last2=Spellman|first3=Jasmine|last3=Shaw }}</ref> Fruits average 86.5% water, and their [[dry matter|dry weight]] includes 14.4% [[carbohydrate]]s and 12.2% [[lipid]]s, which is possibly the highest lipid content of any fleshy fruit in Europe.{{sfn|Ehrlén|Eriksson|1991}}

==Subspecies== * [[Empetrum nigrum subsp. asiaticum|''Empetrum nigrum'' subsp. ''asiaticum'']] (Nakai ex H.Ito) Kuvaev – Korean crowberry<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.forest.go.kr/kna/special/download/English_Names_for_Korean_Native_Plants.pdf|title=English Names for Korean Native Plants|publisher=[[Korea National Arboretum]]|year=2015|isbn=978-89-97450-98-5|location=Pocheon|pages=456|access-date=24 December 2016|via=[[Korea Forest Service]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525105020/http://www.forest.go.kr/kna/special/download/English_Names_for_Korean_Native_Plants.pdf|archive-date=25 May 2017}}</ref> * ''Empetrum nigrum'' subsp. ''subholarcticum'' (V.N.Vassil.) Kuvaev (synonym: ''Empetrum subholarcticum'' V.N.Vassil.)<ref name="worldfloraonline.org">{{cite web |title=Empetrum subholarcticum V.N.Vassil. |url=http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000667274 |website=www.worldfloraonline.org |access-date=15 February 2021}}</ref>

==Distribution and habitat== The species has a near [[Circumboreal Region|circumboreal]] distribution in the [[Northern Hemisphere]].<ref name="POWO">{{Cite web |title=''Empetrum nigrum'' L. |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30371508-2 |access-date=2025-09-30 |website=powo.science.kew.org |language=en |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew}}</ref>

''Empetrum nigrum'' grows in [[bog]]s<ref name="Francis-Baker-2021">{{Cite book |last=Francis-Baker |first=Tiffany |title=Concise Foraging Guide |date=2021 |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]] |isbn=978-1-4729-8474-6 |series=[[The Wildlife Trusts]] |location=London |pages=31}}</ref> and other [[Soil pH|acidic soils]] in shady, moist areas; it also grows in subalpine and alpine habitats in the [[Pacific Northwest]]. It can grow in soils with a pH as low as 2.5, but it does not grow in basic soils (pH > 8).<ref>{{Cite journal|title=The Genus Empetrum L.|url=https://academic.oup.com/botlinnean/article-lookup/doi/10.1111/j.1095-8339.1927.tb00520.x|journal=Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Botany|date=June 1927|pages=489–523|volume=47|issue=317|doi=10.1111/j.1095-8339.1927.tb00520.x|language=en|first=R. D'O.|last=Good|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

==Ecology== ''Empetrum nigrum'' flowers are likely pollinated by a combination of generalist insects (e.g., flies, beetles) and wind.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Animals that regularly consume this species and act as seed dispersers include rodents,<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Do changes in berry crops drive population fluctuations in small rodents in the southwestern Yukon?|url=https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article-lookup/doi/10.1644/09-MAMM-A-005.1|journal=Journal of Mammalogy|date=2010-04-16|issn=0022-2372|pages=500–509|volume=91|issue=2|doi=10.1644/09-MAMM-A-005.1|language=en|first1=Charles J.|last1=Krebs|first2=Kevan|last2=Cowcill|first3=Rudy|last3=Boonstra|first4=Alice J.|last4=Kenney |bibcode=2010JMamm..91..500K }}</ref> foxes, bears,<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Grizzly bear food habits in the northern Yukon, Canada.|last1=McHutchon|first1=A.G.|journal=Ursus|volume=14|pages=225–235|last2=Wellwood|first2=D.W.|publication-date=2003}}</ref> caribou<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Straight from the caribou's (Rangifer tarandus) mouth: detailed observations of tame caribou reveal new insights into summer–autumn diets|url=https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cjz-2016-0114|journal=Canadian Journal of Zoology|date=February 2017|issn=0008-4301|pages=81–94|volume=95|issue=2|doi=10.1139/cjz-2016-0114|first1=Kristin A.|last1=Denryter|first2=Rachel C.|last2=Cook|first3=John G.|last3=Cook|first4=Katherine L.|last4=Parker |bibcode=2017CaJZ...95...81D |hdl=1807/75601|hdl-access=free}}</ref> and many bird species.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Wild berry plants and carpophagous birds in the taiga zone of the southern Russian Far East|url=https://doi.org/10.1134/S1995425512010092|journal=Contemporary Problems of Ecology|date=2012-02-01|issn=1995-4263|pages=71–78|volume=5|issue=1|doi=10.1134/S1995425512010092|language=en|first1=V. A.|last1=Nechaev|first2=A. A.|last2=Nechaev |bibcode=2012CPrEc...5...71N |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Because it retains its fruit throughout the winter and into the spring, it is an important food for species such as red-backed voles at a time of year when few other foods are available.<ref name=":3" />

The moth species ''[[Glacies coracina]]'', ''[[Zygaena exulans]]'', and ''[[Hadula melanopa]]'' feed on the plant.<ref name="Readers" />

The metabolism and photosynthetic parameters of ''Empetrum'' can be altered in winter-warming experiments.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bokhorst |first1=S |last2=Bjerke |first2=JW |last3=Davey |first3=MP |last4=Taulavuori |first4=K |last5=Taulavuori |first5=E |last6=Laine |first6=K |last7=Callaghan |first7=TV |last8=Phoenix |first8=GK |year=2010 |title=Impacts of extreme winter warming events on plant physiology in a sub-Arctic heath community |journal=[[Physiologia Plantarum]] |volume=140 |issue=2 |pages=128–140 |doi=10.1111/j.1399-3054.2010.01386.x |pmid=20497369|bibcode=2010PPlan.140..128B }}</ref>

''Empetrum nigrum'' has [[Allelopathy|allelopathic]] properties (e.g. hampering seed germination and root extension of other plants) but the strength of these are dependent on the soil type.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ryde |first1=Ingvild |last2=Kristinsdóttir |first2=Jóhanna |last3=Halmová |first3=Marika |last4=Baussay |first4=Augustin |last5=Bråthen |first5=Kari Anne |last6=Neilson |first6=Elizabeth |last7=Jónsdóttir |first7=Ingibjörg |title=Volcanic soils alleviate the allelopathic capacity of Empetrum nigrum in degraded tundra ecosystems |url=https://www.authorea.com/users/873180/articles/1253534-volcanic-soils-alleviate-the-allelopathic-capacity-of-empetrum-nigrum-in-degraded-tundra-ecosystems?commit=bc11ea2bbe0001b2c5b38cf882dd382d31236844 |journal=Authorea}}</ref>

''Empetrum nigrum'' roots host [[Ericoid mycorrhiza|ericoid mycorrhizal]] species (ascomycetes and basidiomycetes), which increase access to nitrogen and phosphorus.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Empetrum Nigrum L.|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2258934|journal=Journal of Ecology|date=1973|issn=0022-0477|pages=289–305|volume=61|issue=1|doi=10.2307/2258934|first1=J. N. B.|last1=Bell|first2=J. H.|last2=Tallis |jstor=2258934 |bibcode=1973JEcol..61..289B |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

==Uses== The fruit is edible and can be dried,<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants |publisher=[[Skyhorse Publishing]] |author=United States Department of the Army |author-link=United States Department of the Army |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-60239-692-0 |location=New York |pages=47 |language=en-US |oclc=277203364}}</ref> and may have an acidic taste. In the Alaskan tundra, it is known to have a sweet and slightly tart flavor. It is often mixed with other berries in dishes like pies and puddings.<ref name="Francis-Baker-2021" />

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 people|Sami]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}} It is used to make [[Alaskan ice cream]].<ref name="Francis-Baker-2021" /> The [[Dena'ina]] (Tanaina) harvest it for food, sometimes storing in quantity for winter, sometimes mixed with lard or oil.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}

In the Canadian province of [[Newfoundland and Labrador]], the berries (known locally as “blackberries”) are used in jams, jellies, and baked goods, such as buns, or puddings.<ref name="A Newfoundland and Labrador take on ‘blackberry’ pudding">{{cite web |last=Sulley |first=Erin |date=2021-08-26 |title=A Newfoundland and Labrador take on 'blackberry' pudding |url=https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/erin-sulley-a-newfoundland-and-labrador-take-on-blackberry-pudding-100627643 |access-date=16 July 2025 |work=PNI Atlantic News}}</ref> In Labrador and northern regions of Newfoundland, entire plants are harvested and the sods used to impart flavour to smoked fish.<ref name="Where to find fresh fish">{{cite web|title=Where to Find Fresh Fish - Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada |url=https://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/trip-ideas/travel-stories/where-to-find-fresh-fish.|work=Where to find fresh fish|access-date=16 July 2025}}</ref>

The species can also be grown as a [[ground cover]],<ref name="pfaf">{{cite web|url=http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?latinname=Empetrum+nigrum|title=Empetrum nigrum - L.|work=Plants for a Future|access-date=15 May 2017}}</ref> or as an [[ornamental plant]] in [[rock garden]]s, notably the yellow-foliaged [[cultivar]] 'Lucia'. The fruit is high in [[anthocyanin]] pigment and can be used to make a natural dye.<ref name="pfaf" />

== In culture == The Scottish Highlands [[Clan Maclean]]'s badge is believed to be ''E. nigrum''.<ref>Adam; Innes of Learney (1970), pp. 541–543.</ref>

==Gallery== {{gallery|mode=packed |Empetrum.jpg|The yellow-leaved cultivar ''Empetrum nigrum'' 'Lucia' |Vaccinium vitis-idaea and Empetrum nigrum 20230823.jpg|''[[Vaccinium vitis-idaea]]'' and ''Empetrum nigrum'' in [[Denali National Park|Denali]] |Alaskan Crowberry from alpine-tundra regions.jpg|Alaskan crowberry }}

==References== {{Commons}} {{Reflist}}

==Bibliography== * {{cite journal |date=1991 |first1=Johan |last1=Ehrlén |first2=Ove |last2=Eriksson |title=Phenological variation in fruit characteristics in vertebrate-dispersed plants |pages=463–470 |doi=10.1007/BF00318311 |journal=Oecologia |issn=0029-8549 |volume=86 |issue=4 |pmid=28313326 |bibcode=1991Oecol..86..463E }} *[http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/empnig/all.html Forest Service Fire Ecology]

[[Category:Empetrum|nigrum]] [[Category:Plants described in 1753]] [[Category:Greenlandic cuisine]] [[Category:Flora of Subarctic America]] [[Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]] [[Category:Flora of Greenland]]