SafePlants

No images found for this plant ID: 16194.

Ensure images are uploaded to the Media Library and tagged with "16194" in the "plant_image_tag" taxonomy.

Safe for Children?

✅ Safe: 0
❓ Neutral: 0
❌ Unsafe: 0

Safe for Dogs?

✅ Safe: 0
❓ Neutral: 0
❌ Unsafe: 0

Safe for Cats?

✅ Safe: 0
❓ Neutral: 0
❌ Unsafe: 0

Safe for Reptiles?

✅ Safe: 0
❓ Neutral: 0
❌ Unsafe: 0

black crowberry

Scientific Name: Empetrum nigrum ssp. hermaphroditum

Family: Empetraceae

Category: Dicot

Growth: Subshrub, Shrub

Duration: Perennial

Other Names: NY (black crowberry)

       

Crowberry (Empetrum nigrum)

Empetrum nigrum, commonly known as crowberry or black crowberry, is a flowering plant found in cold climates. In some regions, like western Alaska, it's also referred to as blackberry.

Considerations for Pets

  • The plant produces berries that progress from green to pink to purple and finally to black.
  • Crowberry leaves have small glands that produce a toxin, potentially affecting interactions with other plants.
  • Glandular hairs are found on the twigs of the plant.

Considerations for Children

  • The plant produces berries that progress from green to pink to purple and finally to black.
  • Crowberry leaves have small glands that produce a toxin, potentially affecting interactions with other plants.
  • Glandular hairs are found on the twigs of the plant.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

  • Scientific Name: Empetrum nigrum
  • Family: Ericaceae (Heather Family; formerly Crowberry Family – Empetraceae)
  • Synonyms: Empetrum eamesii ssp. hermaphroditum, Empetrum hermaphroditum
  • Subspecies: Empetrum nigrum ssp. hermaphroditum (tetraploid)

Distribution and Habitat

  • Crowberry thrives in colder climates, including:
    • Alaska
    • Yukon Territory
    • Canada (Labrador, Newfoundland)
    • Greenland
  • It is native to most northern areas of the northern hemisphere.
  • Typical habitats include moors, cold forested wetlands, and alpine zones.
  • It commonly grows on dry, open sites such as dunes, exposed rocks, and bogs.

Ecological Role

  • Crowberry is noted for producing a toxin that inhibits the growth of other plant species.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits

  • It is a dwarf evergreen shrub.
  • The fruits are black, round berries.
  • The plant has small, rather inconspicuous, purplish-brown flowers that occur in leaf axils.
  • It has glandular hairs on its twigs.
  • It is a creeping shrub.

Interactions with Other Organisms

  • It fights other species by producing a toxin.

Additional Common Names

  • Black-berried heath
  • Crakeberry
  • Crowpea
  • Mossberry
  • Curlew Berry

Resources and Further Information

  • Wildflowers Count survey
  • Michigan Natural Features Inventory (P.O. Box 30444 - Lansing, MI 48909-7944. Phone: 517-373-1552)
  • USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
  • Dave's Garden (online community)