Common Crowberry |
Empetrum nigrum |
Taxonomic note: here separated from E hermaphroditum. Some floras group them together as E nigrum agg. In that case the present taxon is E nigrum ssp nigrum and the other is E nigrum ssp hermaphroditum.
![]() Photo © Patrick Butler |
Common on moorland and coastal cliffs Flower diameter c 1.2-2 mm, berries c 4-10 mm ID: (E nigrum agg) 6 separate (not joined at base) pink petals/sepals. Leaf-margins rolled under to almost meet below. Also unmistakable in fruit if looks like these pictures. (E nigrum sensu stricto) Leaves 3-4 times as long as broad, not 2-3 times. Young twigs red, not green. Flowers almost always male or female rather than hermaphrodite. Puts out new roots around edges of tuft. Other features: Forms large clumps which often hang down over rock faces. |
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Photo ©
Carl Farmer |
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Photo ©
Carl Farmer |
Habitat picture. Crowberry is the dark green plant cascading over the rocks in the lower half of the pic.