Empetrum rubrum

Empetrum rubrum, known as red crowberry or diddle-dee (Chilean Spanish: Murtilla de Magallanes), is a species of plant in the heath family, Ericaceae.

Red crowberry
Red crowberry growing in the Falkland Islands
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Ericaceae
Genus:	Empetrum
Species:	E. rubrum
Binomial name
Empetrum rubrum Vahl ex Willd.[1]
Forms; Subspecies; Varieties
E. r. f. falklandicum R.D.Good[2] E. r. subsp. eamesii (Fernald & Wiegand) R.D.Good[3] E. r. var. atropurpureum (Fernald & Wiegand) R.D.Good[3] E. r. var. eamesii (Fernald & Wiegand) Cronquist[4]

Distribution and habitat

The species is distributed in Chile from Talca (35°S) to Cape Horn (55°S), in areas of adjacent Argentina, in the Falkland Islands, and in Tristan da Cunha. One of its northernmost natural growing places is Laguna del Maule.

In Chile, it often grows in high-altitude areas close to the tree line and can tolerate alpine conditions such as strong winds and high sun exposure. In the Falkland Islands, it is the dominant species across large areas of lowland and upland dwarf shrub heath.

Uses

Its fruits are edible.^{[5][additional citation(s) needed]}

In culture

It is referenced in the Falkland Islands' unofficial national anthem.

Gallery

• 
  Close up of Empetrum rubrum in Navarino Island, Tierra del Fuego.
• 
  Empetrum rubrum from Torres del Paine National Park