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

Flower profile

Black crowberry

Empetrum nigrum

Native to Maine

Black crowberry is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.

9states
1,642ME sightings*
4,140U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: 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 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 1,642 research-grade sightings of it in Maine, ranking #32 among the 110 flowers on our Maine list. iNaturalist

Black crowberry gift ideas

Handmade black crowberry gifts from independent makers.

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (23 records)

There are only a handful of Maine flowering records, so this chart uses records from across the U.S.

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
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.

More Maine flowers

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Eastern teaberry (wintergreen)

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Pinesap (Monotropa hypopitys)

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🌼 Blooms in ME: June–August

Sources