Empetrum
(Empetron, the Greek name of a plant used by Dioscorides, from en, upon, and petros, a rock; in allusion to the place of growth). Crakeberry, or Crowberry. ORD. Empetraceae. An ornamental hardy evergreen, low, spreading, Heath-like shrub. Flowers minute, axillary, dioecious. Fruit a small berry-like drupe. Leaves small, crowded, entire, evergreen. They are well adapted for growing in damp, peaty situations. Propagated readily, in summer, by cuttings, which should be placed in sandy soil, under a handlight. E. nigrum (black).* fl. sessile; sepals rounded, concave; petals pink, reflexed; filaments very long; anthers red. May. Berries brownish-black, globular, like those of the Juniper, edible. l. linear-oblong. h. 6in. to 12in. Distribution of the order. (Sy. En. B. 1251.) E. n. rubrum (red).* fl. brownish-purple, axillary, solitary, sessile. May. Drupe red. l. linear-oblong, with woolly margins. h. 6in. to 12in. Chili and Fuegia, 1833. (B. R. 1783.)