Side by side
Crowberry or heather? How to tell them apart
Empetrum nigrum · Calluna vulgaris
How to tell them apart – crowberry: creeping, heather-like dwarf shrub with glossy needle-like leaves with a white stripe underneath, and small black berries; heather: scale-like leaves in four rows and lilac flower spikes in August.
How do you recognise them?
- Crowberry
- Creeping, heather-like dwarf shrub with glossy needle-like leaves with a white stripe underneath, and small black berries.
- Heather
- Dwarf shrub with tiny scale-like leaves and small purple flowers in August.
- Compared with crowberry: scale-like leaves in four rows and lilac flower spikes in August.
| Crowberry | Heather | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate but tightly packed, needle-like, 4–6 mm, glossy green; the edges are rolled under so far that only a white stripe remains visible underneath. | Tiny, scale-like leaves (1–3 mm) in four rows, pressed close to the shoots. |
| Flowering | Tiny reddish-purple flowers with 3 petals in the leaf axils, April–May (April–May). | Small lilac (sometimes white) bells in long spikes, August–September (August–October). |
| Fruit | Glossy black berries (5 mm), July–September; edible but bland. | Small capsules. |
| Bark | Reddish-brown stems that lie on the ground and root. | Thin, tough, woody stems. |
| Shape and height | Dwarf shrub, 10–30 cm | Dwarf shrub, 0.2–1 m |
| Site | Full sun, acid soil, dry to wet | Full sun, acid soil, dry |
| Native to Belgium | Yes | Yes |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | – | Yes, for bees and butterflies |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | March–April | March–April |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Both are native and good for wildlife: choose what suits your soil, your light and the space you have.
Read on
- Plant profile: Crowberry
- Plant profile: Heather
- Crowberry: when and how to prune
- Heather: when and how to prune
- Identification key
Also looks like
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.