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Empetrum nigrum, crowberry, black crowberry, mossberry, 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 is usually dioecious. The flowers are small and not very noticeable, with greenish-pink sepals that turn reddish purple. The round are , wide, usually black or purplish-black but occasionally red.
Evolutionary biologists have explained the striking geographic distribution of crowberries as a result of long-distance migratory birds dispersing seeds from one pole to the other.
Empetrum nigrum grows in and other Soil pH in shady, moist areas.
The metabolism and photosynthetic parameters of Empetrum can be altered in winter-warming experiments.
Empetrum nigrum has Allelopathy properties (e.g. hampering seed germination and root extension of other plants) but the strength of these are dependent on the soil type.
It is abundant in Scandinavia and treasured for its ability to make liqueur, wine, juice, or jelly. In subarctic areas, the plant has been a vital addition to the diet of the Inuit and the Sami people. It is used to make Alaskan ice cream. The Dena'ina (Tanaina) harvest it for food, sometimes storing in quantity for winter, sometimes mixed with lard or oil.
The species can also be grown as a ground cover, or as an ornamental plant in , notably the yellow-foliaged cultivar 'Lucia'. The fruit is high in anthocyanin pigment and can be used to make a natural dye.
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