Taxon Details

Empetrum nigrum

black crowberry

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Taxon Summary:

Empetrum nigrum, commonly known as black crowberry, is a perennial evergreen shrub in the Empetraceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Coastal bluff scrub, and Coastal prairie, growing at elevations from 10 to 200 meters. Empetrum nigrum is ranked 2B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification

Scientific Name: Empetrum nigrum
Common Name: black crowberry
Family:	Empetraceae
Element Code:	PDEMP03020
USDA Plants Symbol:	EMNI
Synonyms/Other Names: Empetrum hermaphroditum Empetrum nigrum ssp. hermaphroditum
Name Status:	JEF, FNA, POWO, IPNI, Tropicos

Conservation Status

CA Rare Plant Rank:	2B.2
Fed List:	None
State List:	None
Global Rank:	G5
State Rank:	S1?
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:
Add Date:	1974-01-01
Date Edited:	2021-05-26

Ecology and Life History

Lifeform: perennial evergreen shrub

Blooming Period: Apr-Jun

Elevation:
10 - 200 meters
35 - 655 feet

General Habitats:

Coastal bluff scrub
Coastal prairie

Microhabitat Details:

Microhabitat:

Notes

Notes: Threatened by trampling and cattle grazing. Previously treated as E. nigrum ssp. hermaphroditum, which has bisexual flowers; most CA plants seem dioecious. See Four Seasons 4(4):19-20 (1974) for species account, and Madroño 23(5):299 (1976) for discussion of HUM Co. discovery.
Threats: Threatened by trampling and cattle grazing.
Taxonomy: Previously treated as E. nigrum ssp. hermaphroditum, which has bisexual flowers; most CA plants seem dioecious.

Threat List Data from the CNDDB

THREAT LIST:
Threat List Total:	2
	Total EOs	% of EOs
EOs with Threat Listed:	1	25 %
Foot traffic/trampling	1	25%
Grazing	1	25%

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB

Element Occurrence Ranks:
Total Occurrences:					4
A	B	C	D	X	U
0	0	0	0	1	3

Occurrence Status:
Historical >20 Years	4
Recent <=20 Years	0

Presence:
Presumed Extant	3
Possibly Extirpated	0
Presumed Extirpated	1

Location

California Endemic:

California Island:

States: Name (Code)
Alaska (AK), California (CA), Michigan (MI), Minnesota (MN), New Hampshire (NH), New Jersey (NJ), New York (NY), Oregon (OR), Vermont (VT), Washington (WA)

California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Del Norte (DNT), Humboldt (HUM)

Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Crescent City (4112472), Sister Rocks (4112462), Trinidad (4112412)

Notes:

Definitions of codes following a county and/or quad:
*		Presumed extirpated
(?)		Occurrence confirmed, but possibly extirpated
Quad and county data is imported from the CNDDB. Species may be present in other areas where conditions are favorable. These data should NOT be substituted for pre-project review or for on-site surveys.

Regional Map

Map

Presumed Extant

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CNPS Rare Plant Inventory