Empetrum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Empetrum |
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| Empetrum nigrum | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Tribe: | Empetreae |
| Genus: | Empetrum L. |
| Species | |
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Empetrum eamesii |
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Empetrum is a group of three types of small, evergreen shrubs. They belong to the heath family, called Ericaceae. These plants are often known as crowberries, and they grow tasty fruit that you can eat!
You can find crowberries mostly in the northern parts of the world, from cooler areas to very cold, subarctic places. They also grow in the southern Andes mountains in South America and on islands in the Atlantic Ocean, like South Georgia, the Falkland Islands, and Tristan da Cunha. Crowberries love to grow in open, grassy areas called moorlands, cold, treeless lands called tundra, wet, spongy ground, and in spruce forests. They are also often seen near the coast, on sand dunes and in the wet dips between them.
Contents
Types of Crowberries
There are a few different kinds of Empetrum plants. The main ones are:
- E. nigrum, known as the crowberry or black crowberry.
- E. eamesii, called the rockberry or purple crowberry.
- E. rubrum, known as the red crowberry.
All these plants are evergreen, meaning they stay green all year. They grow close to the ground, forming a mat. Their leaves are small, light green, and look like needles, about 3 to 10 millimeters long. The flowers are tiny and can be either male and female on the same plant, or separate male and female plants. The fruit is a somewhat dry berry.
The crowberry plant has thin, wiry branches that spread out. These branches are covered with short, narrow, stiff leaves. The edges of the leaves curl inward, forming a hollow tube. This tube hides the hairy underside of the leaf, which helps protect the plant from losing too much water.
For a long time, Empetrum and similar plants were put into their own plant family. But now, scientists have studied their DNA and leaf shapes. They found that crowberries actually belong in the Ericaceae family, which is the same family as blueberries and cranberries! These plants share special features that help them get pollinated by the wind.
Crowberry Uses
Crowberries have been a very important food for people living in cold, subarctic areas, like the Inuit and the Sami. After not being as popular for a while, crowberries are now becoming well-known again as a great berry to eat. They produce a lot of berries, and they are fairly easy to pick.
The berries have a lot of a natural color called anthocyanin. This pigment can be used as a natural food dye, giving things a deep purple color. The Dena'ina people, who are Native Americans from Alaska, gather crowberries for food. Sometimes, they store many of them for winter. They also like to mix the berries with lard or oil. Crowberries stay fresh for a long time in a cool place without needing any special preparation.
Harvesting and Eating Crowberries
People usually pick crowberries in the fall. But if they are not picked, they can stay on the plant all winter and be gathered in the spring! The Inuit and Native Americans often mix crowberries with other berries, especially blueberries. Cooking crowberries can make their flavor even better. They are great for making pies and jelly.
Crowberries in Medicine
The Dena'ina people also use the leaves and stems of crowberries in their traditional medicine. They use them to help with diarrhea and stomach problems. They boil or soak the leaves and stems in hot water, then strain the liquid and drink it.
In the Dena'ina plant knowledge from the Lake Clark area in Alaska, the root of the crowberry plant is also used as medicine. It is used to help remove growths on an eye and to heal sore eyes. The roots are boiled, and the eyes are washed with the strained, cooled "tea." Sometimes, a little sugar is added to this tea.
Crowberries do not have a lot of vitamins, and they don't have many strong smells either. They are also less acidic than many other berries found in forests.
Crowberries in Gardens
Sometimes, crowberries are grown as ornamental plants in rock gardens. One popular type is called Empetrum nigrum 'Lucia', which has yellow leaves. You can see a picture of it to the left.
See also
In Spanish: Empetrum para niños
