Empetrum nigrum, SE: Nordkråkbär, kråkris DE: Zwittrige Krähenbeere,
NL: Kraaihei, UK: Crowberry

Scientific name:  Empetrum nigrum L.
Swedish name:  Kråkbär, kråkris
German name:  Zwittrige Krähenbeere
Nederlandse naam:   Kraaihei
English name:   Crowberry
Family:   Ericaceae, Ljungväxter, Heath family

Vilda blommor i Sverige - Flowers in Sweden
Date Picture Taken: July 23, 2008

Life form:  Dwarf shrub
Stems:  Woody, low, creeping, horizontal much-branched stems; twigs curve upwarsd, reddish black, finely hairy
Leaves:  Evergreen, simple, whorled, needlelike, leatherly, dark green
Flowers:  Tiny three-parted, purplish flowers. Later wide, black, globose drupes
Flowering Period:  April-June
Fruits:  Round and berry like, shiny dark blue or black, very juicy, sweet with 6 to 9 reddish brown nutlets that are bitter.
Habitat:  Heaths, coasts, bogs and marshes

Empetrum nigrum,Nordkråkbär,Zwittrige Krähenbeere, Kraaihei, Crowberry
Date Picture Taken: July 23, 2008


Derivation of the botanical name:
Empetrum (Greek) en, "upon", and petros, "rock", and refers to the rocky habitat that this species exploit.
Nigrum, "black", refers to the color of the fruit.
  • The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.

Empetrum nigrum,Nordkråkbär,Zwittrige Krähenbeere, Kraaihei, Crowberry
Date Picture Taken: July 22, 2008