Empetrum nigrum

For other shrubs sometimes called "crowberry", see Bearberry.

Black crowberry
Scientific classification Edit this 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]
  • 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.

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 monoecious[4] tetraploid subspecies, Empetrum nigrum subsp. hermaphroditum, which occurs in more northerly locations and at higher altitude.[5][6]. This taxon is in some cases considered its own species, and not a subspecies.[7]

Description

Empetrum nigrum is a low growing, evergreen shrub with a creeping habit.[8] 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.[9] The flowers are small and not very noticeable,[8] with greenish-pink sepals that turn reddish purple.[10] The round fruits are drupes, 4–6 mm (1⁄8–1⁄4 in) wide, usually black or purplish-black but occasionally red.[11]

Subspecies

Distribution and habitat

The species has a near circumboreal distribution in the Northern Hemisphere.[7] 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 bogs[17] and other acidic soils in shady, moist areas.

Ecology

The moth species Glacies coracina, Zygaena exulans, and Hadula melanopa feed on the plant.[9]

The metabolism and photosynthetic parameters of Empetrum can be altered in winter-warming experiments.[18]

Empetrum nigrum has allelopathic properties (e.g. hampering seed germination and root extension of other plants) but the strength of these are dependent on the soil type. [19]

Uses

The fruit is edible and can be dried,[20] but has an acidic taste. It is best mixed with other berries in dishes like pies and puddings.[17]

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.[citation needed] It is used to make Alaskan ice cream.[17] 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,[21] 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.[21]

In culture

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.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Empetrum nigrum.
  1. ^ Sp. Pl. 2: 1022. 1753 [1 May 1753] "Plant Name Details for Empetrum nigrum". IPNI. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  2. ^ "Empetrum nigrum L." Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  3. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Crowberry" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 513.
  4. ^ Jepson Flora Project (ed.). "Empetrum nigrum". Jepson eFlora. The Jepson Herbarium, University of California, Berkeley.
  5. ^ Stace, C. A. (2010) New Flora of the British Isles, 3rd edition. Cambridge University press. ISBN 978-0-521-70772-5. pp. 525.
  6. ^ Kråkbär (in Swedish)
  7. ^ a b "Empetrum hermaphroditum Hagerup". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  8. ^ a b Barbara Coffin; Lee Pfannmuller (1988). Minnesota's Endangered Flora and Fauna. U of Minnesota Press. p. 96. ISBN 978-0-8166-1689-3.
  9. ^ a b Reader's Digest Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of Britain. Reader's Digest. 1981. p. 220. ISBN 978-0-276-00217-5.
  10. ^ "Empetrum nigrum in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  11. ^ "Jepson eFlora: Empetrum nigrum". University and Jepson Herbaria. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  12. ^ English Names for Korean Native Plants (PDF). Pocheon: Korea National Arboretum. 2015. p. 456. ISBN 978-89-97450-98-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2016 – via Korea Forest Service.
  13. ^ "Empetrum subholarcticum V.N.Vassil". www.worldfloraonline.org. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  14. ^ "Empetrum nigrum". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  15. ^ "Empetrum nigrum L." PLANTS.
  16. ^ Magnus Popp; Virginia Mirré; Christian Brochmann (2011). Peter H. Raven (ed.). "A single Mid-Pleistocene long-distance dispersal by a bird can explain the extreme bipolar disjunction in crowberries". PNAS. 108 (16). Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri: 6520–6525. doi:10.1073/pnas.1012249108. PMC 3081031. PMID 21402939.
  17. ^ a b c Francis-Baker, Tiffany (2021). Concise Foraging Guide. The Wildlife Trusts. London: Bloomsbury. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-4729-8474-6.
  18. ^ Bokhorst, S; Bjerke, JW; Davey, MP; Taulavuori, K; Taulavuori, E; Laine, K; Callaghan, TV; Phoenix, GK (2010). "Impacts of extreme winter warming events on plant physiology in a sub-Arctic heath community". Physiologia Plantarum. 140 (2): 128–140. Bibcode:2010PPlan.140..128B. doi:10.1111/j.1399-3054.2010.01386.x. PMID 20497369.
  19. ^ Ryde, Ingvild; Kristinsdóttir, Jóhanna; Halmová, Marika; Baussay, Augustin; Bråthen, Kari Anne; Neilson, Elizabeth; Jónsdóttir, Ingibjörg. "Volcanic soils alleviate the allelopathic capacity of Empetrum nigrum in degraded tundra ecosystems". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  20. ^ United States Department of the Army (2009). The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants. New York: Skyhorse Publishing. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-60239-692-0. OCLC 277203364.
  21. ^ a b "Empetrum nigrum - L." Plants for a Future. Retrieved 15 May 2017.