Common Name:

General Information

Empetrum rubrum is a densely branched, prostrate, trailing, evergreen shrub with stems around 50 - 100cm long[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental, where it can be grown as a ground cover in exposed positions.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

S. America - central and southern Chile, southern Argentina, Falkland Islands and Tristan da Cunha

Habitat

Dwarf shrub heath, feldmark communities, bogs and swamps, in open Nothofagus forest and occasionally frequent in the understorey[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	0.30 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Pollinators	Bees, Flies, Lepidoptera
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A calcifuge plant, it is easily grown in a moist lime-free peaty soil[, , ]. Tolerates exposed positions, including maritime exposure in Cornwall[].
This species is closely related to Empetrum nigrum.
A dioecious species - both male and female forms must be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[, , , ]. Somewhat bitter, the flavour is like cranberrie[]s It is supposed to have tonic properties[, ].

Medicinal

The fruit is tonic[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Plants can be used for groundcover in exposed locations[].

Other Uses

The dried twigs make an excellent fuel[].

Propagation

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, mid summer in a frame. Takes 3 weeks. Good percentage[, ].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, 3cm with a heel, early autumn in a frame. Requires shade. Good percentage[, ].