Empetrum nigrum

Empetrum nigrum, better known as black crowberry, is a low creeping heather-like shrub that forms large, dense mats consisting of multiple trailing stems from 4-12 inches long covered in spiraling clusters of very small, oblong, fir-like leaves. Separate male and female plants produce tiny, inconspicuous pink to white flowers in summer. Small black fruits follow. They are edible and can be used in desserts, jams, jellies, liquers, and berry vines, often mixed with other berries. The fruit was a vital addition to the diet of First Nations people in the sub-arctic and used medicinally and for dye. A larval host for the Northern Blue and Arctic Blue butterflies. Attracts birds, moths, and butterflies. Use as a low ground cover in native plant gardens, in troughs, and at the front of the border. A Canadian native to every province and territory.

Forming a 12" x 18" mat of tiny leaves and edible black fruits, Crowberry is one of the seemingly indomitable Arctic plants which, looking at everlasting snow, can "call life good and the earth enjoyable" (Keeler); prefers cool spots, peaty sand. PSh/M

Small heath-like plant from the high moorlands and mountains of the Northern Hemisphere and associate of heather and vacciniums. Makes a good mat-like ground cover or rock garden plant. Small purplish-pink flowers are rare in cultivation. Has purplish-black berries. More easily grown than it's look-alike, the Phyllodoces.