Bloomipedia
Black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum)
Photo: Lucian Vazquez via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Black crowberry

Empetrum nigrum

Black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) is a shrub in the Ericaceae family, native in the lower 48 states.

Native in the lower 48

Black crowberry is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states.

9states where USDA records it
2Bloomipedia state lists include it
4,140U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alaska, Maine

Quick look

Empetrum nigrum, the crowberry, black crowberry, mossberry, rockberry, or, in western Alaska, Labrador, etc., blackberry, is a flowering plant species in the heather family Ericaceae with a near circumboreal distribution in the Northern Hemisphere.

  • It belongs to the Ericaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 9 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Alaska and Maine. NatureServe
  • USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as purple. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as mid summer. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 1 ft. USDA PLANTS
  • iNaturalist has 1,759 research-grade sightings of it in Alaska, ranking #18 among the 121 flowers on our Alaska list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 1,642 research-grade sightings of it in Maine, ranking #33 among the 160 flowers on our Maine list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (23 records)
Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
AlaskaNativefew records (12)1,759
MaineNativefew records (6)1,642

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
Alaska
No list Alaska has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alaska ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alaska.
Maine
Not listed Not on Maine Rare Plant List (Maine Natural Areas Program, 2021). E and T are Maine's official endangered and threatened plants (12 M.R.S.); SC and PE are tracking categories. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Maine. Maine rare plant list
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: CA (S1), MI (S2), MN (S1), NY (S2), VT (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records black crowberry in 9 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alaska, California, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington.

Alaska counties with USDA records: Aleutians East, Aleutians West, Anchorage, Bethel, Bristol Bay, Chugach, Copper River, Denali, Dillingham, Fairbanks North Star, Haines, Juneau, Kenai Peninsula, Ketchikan Gateway, Kodiak Island, Lake and Peninsula, Matanuska-Susitna, Nome, North Slope, Northwest Arctic, Sitka, Southeast Fairbanks, Yakutat, Yukon-Koyukuk.

Growing conditions

USDA PLANTS gives Black crowberry a high shade tolerance, medium drought tolerance and low moisture use. It is rated for soil pH 4.3 to 7.8 and winter lows down to -43 °F.

Shade tolerance
High
Drought tolerance
Medium
Moisture use
Low
Soil textures it is adapted to
medium, fine
Soil pH range
4.3 to 7.8
Minimum temperature tolerated
-43 °F
Frost-free days needed (minimum)
90
Annual precipitation range
16 to 55 inches
Minimum root depth
16 inches
Salinity tolerance
None
Fertility requirement
Medium
Growth rate
Slow
Lifespan
Moderate
Active growth period
Summer and Fall
Fruit or seed
Black · Summer to Summer
Can be propagated by
bare root, container, cuttings, seed, sprigs
Commercial availability
Routinely Available

From the USDA PLANTS characteristics data for EMNI. USDA ratings are general guidance for the species, not a guarantee for your garden.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Alaska: Native; Canada: Native; Greenland: Native; Lower 48 states: Native; St. Pierre and Miquelon: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 54 counties across 9 states; the most are in Alaska (24), Washington (11), Michigan (4).

More from the Ericaceae family (55 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Ghost pipe, Rhododendrons and azaleas, Striped wintergreen, Mountain laurel, Eastern teaberry (wintergreen), Salal, Woodland pinedrops, Pinesap.

More Alaska flowers

Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea)

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Bog bilberry (Vaccinium uliginosum)

Bog bilberry

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🌼 Blooms in AK: May–July
Mock azalea (Rhododendron menziesii)

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🌼 Few flowering records in AK

Sources