crowberry

crowberry
/kroh"ber'ee, -beuh ree/, n., pl. crowberries.
1. the black or reddish berry of a heathlike, evergreen shrub, Empetrum nigrum, of northern regions.
2. the plant itself.
3. any of certain other fruits or the plants bearing similar berries, as the bearberry.
[1590-1600; CROW1 + BERRY, prob. trans. of G Krähenbeere]

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▪ plant
      any species of the genus Empetrum, of the heath family (Ericaceae), particularly E. nigrum, an evergreen shrub native to cool regions of North America, Asia, and Europe. The plant thrives in mountainous regions and rocky soil. It grows about 25 cm (10 inches) tall and is somewhat trailing in habit. The narrow, simple leaves are about 1 cm (0.4 inch) long; the sides curl backward until they meet. The solitary flowers are very small and purplish. The fruit, about 1 cm long, is black, berrylike, juicy, and edible but somewhat acid in taste.

      Local names of E. nigrum include black crowberry, crakeberry, crowpea, black-berried heath, and wire ling. In Canada the berries are sometimes called camerines.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • crowberry — [krō′ber΄ē] adj. [prob. transl. of Ger krähenbeere] designating a family (Empetraceae, order Ericales) of dicotyledonous shrubby evergreens n. pl. crowberries 1. any of several hardy, low, evergreen shrubs (genus Empetrum) of the crowberry family …   English World dictionary

  • Crowberry — Crow ber ry (kr? b?r r?), n. (Bot.) A heathlike plant of the genus {Empetrum}, and its fruit, a black, scarcely edible berry; also called {crakeberry}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Crowberry — For other shrubs of the same name, see Bearberry. Crowberry Empetrum nigrum Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • crowberry — noun Date: 1597 1. an evergreen subshrub (Empetrum nigrum of the family Empetraceae) of subtemperate regions with an inedible tasteless black berry 2. the fruit of a crowberry …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • crowberry — noun a) Empetrum; a small genus of dwarf evergreen shrubs that bear edible fruit. b) Empetrum nigrum; a species of crowberry …   Wiktionary

  • crowberry — noun (plural crowberries) 1》 a creeping heather like dwarf shrub with small leaves and black berries. [Empetrum nigrum.] 2》 the edible but flavourless black berry of the crowberry …   English new terms dictionary

  • crowberry — crow•ber•ry [[t]ˈkroʊˌbɛr i, bə ri[/t]] n. pl. ries 1) pln a low evergreen shrub, Empetrum nigrum, of the crowberry family, bearing an edible black berry 2) pln the berry itself • Etymology: 1590–1600 …   From formal English to slang

  • crowberry — /ˈkroʊbɛri/ (say krohberee) noun (plural crowberries) 1. the insipid black or reddish berry of an evergreen heath like shrub, Empetrum nigrum, of northern regions. 2. the plant itself, of the family Empetraceae …  

  • crowberry — n. (pl. ies) 1 a a heathlike evergreen shrub Empetrum nigrum, bearing black berries. b the flavourless edible berry of this plant. 2 US a cranberry …   Useful english dictionary

  • crowberry family — crow′berry fam ily n. pln a family, Empetraceae, of heathlike evergreen shrubs, of N regions, having black to red berries …   From formal English to slang

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