Taxon Report

Empetrum nigrum

black crowberry

Print Report

©2015 Dana York

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

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial evergreen shrub
Blooming Period: Apr-Jun	Apr-Jun
Elevation:	10-200 (35-655)
General Habitats:	Coastal bluff scrub, Coastal prairie
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	2B.2
Global Rank:	G5
State Rank:	S1?
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	changed from 2.2 to 2B.2 on 2013-06-12

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	4
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	1
Unknown (U)	3

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Del Norte (DNT), Humboldt (HUM)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Crescent City (4112472), Sister Rocks (4112462), Trinidad (4112412)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


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

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.

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 4 January 2025].