Rockberry, Purple crowberry
Empetrum eamesii
Family: Empetraceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Purple, Red. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Late summer, Mid summer. Form: Prostrate, Spreading or horizontal.
Empetrum eamesii is an evergreen Shrub growing to 0.2 m (0ft 8in) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 3 and is not frost tender. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid soils and can grow in very acid soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.
Height (m): 0.2
Where it is found
Exposed sands and siliceous gravels and rocks.
North-eastern N. America - S.E. Labrador to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Fruit - raw or cooked. The fruit is about 4mm in diameter.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
Succeeds as a ground cover plant in exposed positions.
Ground cover: Ground Cover
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Erosion control, Foundation, Ground cover, Massing, Rock garden. A calcifuge plant, it is easily grown in a lime-free soil. Prefers a moist sandy peaty soil and some shade. The flowers of this species are usually hermaphrodite, but some female flowers are produced. Special Features:Attractive foliage, North American native, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. The seed can be very slow to germinate, stored seed requires 5 months warm then 3 months cold stratification at 5°c. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 3cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Takes 3 weeks. Good percentage. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, 3cm with a heel, October in a frame. Requires shade. Good percentage.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Ground Cover;
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness: 3-8
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist