Crowberries

Crowberries

These dark blue-to-black berries grow alongside needlelike leaves on trailing stems in an evergreen carpet.

Scientific name

Empetrum nigrum

Taxonomy

It is a flowering plant species in the heather family Ericaceae with a circumboreal distribution in the northern hemisphere.

Use in food

Add crowberries to muffins or cakes, or use as a filler in jams and jellies

Geographic distribution

Although black crowberry is fairly common farther north in Canada, Empetrum nigrum is rare in the Great Lakes Region because it is at its southern limit. It is found along Lake Superior or on hummocks in cold air pockets within marl swamps in Mackinac County. Empetrum nigrum has low tolerance to fire and often takes 30 to 60 years to recover. It is also found in other countries such as Iceland.

Plant hardiness

E. nigrum also has low tolerance to water logged conditions, and in swamps it grows on the Sphagnum hummocks.

Phenols protect from browsing

Once established, phenol compounds in its leaves protect it from browsing by animals, and the leaf litter helps to keep out other competing species of plants.

Resistance to environmental change

It appears that Empetrum nigrum is relatively resistant to environmental changes such as acid rain, changes in UV-B radiation, global warming, and air-borne heavy metal accumulation.