English
Black Crowberry
Latin
Empetrum nigrum
Anishinaabemowin
aandegopin (Reagan: ah(n)-tay-go-bin (a-te-go-bin))
Physical Description
Black crowberry is an evergreen shrub with spreading, branched stems up to 1 1/2 feet long. The numerous, small, needle-like leaves are crowded on the stem, dark green and leathery, with the margins rolled under. In June and July the greenish or purplish, tiny, inconspicuous flowers bloom. The black or dark purple fruits mature from August to October, and contain 6 to 9 nutlets. Black crowberry often forms mats on rocky or sandy soil, in crevices, sphagnum bogs, or with lichen and moss.
(Plants used by the Great Lakes Ojibwa)
(Plants used by the Great Lakes Ojibwa)
Uses & Preparation
The somewhat juicy fruits were eaten by the Great Lakes Chippewa.
(Plants used by the Great Lakes Ojibwa)
(Plants used by the Great Lakes Ojibwa)
Sources
Plants used by the Great Lakes Ojibwa, Meeker, Elias and Heim, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Odanah, WI, 1993