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Empetrum eamesii hermaphroditum

Common name:	Mountain Crowberry	Family:	Empetraceae
Author:	(Hagerup.)D.Löve.	Botanical references:	11, 17, 200
Synonyms:	Empetrum nigrum hermaphroditum (Lange.), Empetrum hermaphroditum (Hagerup.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Northern Europe, including Britain, mountains in southern Europe, Greenland, Canada and Siberia.
Habitat:	On mountain tops and moors, mostly at high altitudes but down to sea level in the far north of its range[17].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	E. eamesii ssp. hermaphroditum[B,P] E. nigrum ssp. hermaphroditum[B,C,CAL,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Black Crowberry [P],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Ericales. Crowberry family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 0.3m. It is hardy to zone 3 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower in March. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies and Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies). The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, Ground Cover.

Edible Uses

Fruit; Tea.

Fruit - raw or cooked[61]. A watery flavour, it is mainly used for making drinks, pies, preserves etc[183]. The Inuit dry or freeze them for winter use[183]. The fruit is about 4mm in diameter[200].
A tea can be made from the twigs[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Ground cover.

Plants can be used for groundcover in exposed locations[200].

Cultivation details

A calcifuge plant, it is easily grown in a moist lime-free peaty soil[11, 182, 200].
Unlike most members of this genus, this species is hermaphrodite and self-fertile[183].
There has been some confusion over the name of this plant. Some authorities refer to it as E. hermaphroditum and others include it in E. nigrum or E. eamesii[200].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. The seed can be very slow to germinate, stored seed requires 5 months warm then 3 months cold stratification at 5°c[200]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 3cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Takes 3 weeks. Good percentage[78, 200].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, 3cm with a heel, October in a frame. Requires shade. Good percentage[78, 200].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Empetrum hermaphroditum (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for Empetrum nigrum ssp. hermaphroditum (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for the family Empetraceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.