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- Corema conradii
Corema conradii — broom-crowberry
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Facts
Broom-crowberry is a rare member of a genus with only two species: one, conradii occurs in northeastern North America, and the other, C. album, in western Europe. Our species, conradii, is named for the botanist S. White Conrad, who discovered it in the late 1700s. In New England, this creeping shrub with numerous, needle-like leaves is primarily confined to sandplains and open grasslands along the coast. Fires, which are common in these habitats but help maintain them, can harm adult plants but may stimulate abundant seed germination.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), grassland, sandplains and barrens, shrublands or thickets, woodlands
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Growth form
- the plant is a shrub (i.e., a woody plant with several stems growing from the base)
- Leaf type
- the leaf blade is simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Leaves per node
-
- there are four leaves per node along the stem
- there are three leaves per node along the stem
- there are two leaves per node along the stem
- Leaf blade edges
-
- the edge of the leaf blade has no teeth or lobes
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
- Leaf duration
- the leaves remain green all winter
- armature on plant
- the plant does not have spines, prickles, or thorns
- Leaf blade length
- 3–6 mm
- Leaf blade width
- 0.5–0.8 mm
- Leaf stalk
- the leaves have leaf stalks
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe
- Bark texture
-
- the bark of an adult plant is thin and smooth
- the bark of an adult plant peels off easily or hangs off
- Twig winter color
-
- gray
- orange
- Bud scale number
- there are three or more scales on the winter bud, and they overlap like shingles, with one edge covered and the other edge exposed
-
Buds or leaf scars
- Bud scale number
- there are three or more scales on the winter bud, and they overlap like shingles, with one edge covered and the other edge exposed
- Bud scar shape (Fraxinus)
- NA
- Collateral buds
- there are no collateral buds on the sides of the branches
- Leaf scar arrangement
-
- there are three or more leaf scars per node on the stem or twig
- there are two leaf scars per node on the stem or twig
- Superposed buds
- there are no superposed buds on the branch
- Winter bud shape
- the winter buds are globose (spherical, globe-shaped)
-
Flowers
- Anther color
- there is a noticeable pink, reddish or purplish tint to the anthers
- Carpels fused
- the carpels are fused to one another
- Enlarged sterile flowers
- there are no enlarged sterile flowers on the plant
- Flower petal color
- NA
- Flower symmetry
- there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
- Hairs on ovary (Amelanchier)
- NA
- Hypanthium present
- the flower does not have a hypanthium
- Inflorescence hairs
- there are no hairs on the inflorescence
- Inflorescence position
- the inflorescences grow on older branches
- Inflorescence type
- the inflorescence is a pseudanthium (a cluster of small flowers that appear to be one flower, as in the flower head of the composite family, Asteraceae)
- Number of pistils
- 1
- Ovary position
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Petal and sepal arrangement
- the flower includes only one cycle of petals or sepals
- Petal appearance
- NA
- Petal fusion
- the perianth parts are separate
- Sepal appearance
- the sepals resemble petals in color and texture
- Sepal cilia (Ilex)
- NA
- Sepal tip glands
- there are no glands at the tips of the sepal lobes
- Sepals fused only to sepals
- the sepals are separate from one another
- Stamen number
-
- 0
- 1 or 2
- Stamen position relative to petals
- NA
- Stamens fused
- the stamens are not fused to one another
-
Fruits or seeds
- Berry color
-
- red
- some other color
- white
- Fruit tissue origin
- there are no flower parts that form part of the fruit
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is a berry (fleshy, with the wall enclosing one or more sections, with two or more seeds)
- Nut with spines (Fagaceae)
- NA
- Wings on fruit
- there are no wings on the fruit
-
Glands or sap
- Sap color
- the sap is clear and watery
- Stalked glands on fruit (Rosa)
- NA
-
Growth form
- Growth form
- the plant is a shrub (i.e., a woody plant with several stems growing from the base)
-
Leaves
- Hairs on underside of leaf blade
-
- the underside of the leaf has hairs on it
- the underside of the leaf has no hairs
- Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
-
- the upper side of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
- the upper side of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
- Leaf blade base shape
-
- the base of the leaf blade is attenuate (tapering very gradually to a prolonged tip)
- the base of the leaf blade is rounded
- Leaf blade base symmetry
- the leaf blade base is symmetrical
- Leaf blade bloom
- the underside of the leaf has no noticeable bloom
- Leaf blade edges
-
- the edge of the leaf blade has no teeth or lobes
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
- Leaf blade edges (Acer)
- NA
- Leaf blade flatness
- the edges of the leaf are curled under
- Leaf blade hairs
-
- at least some of the hairs on the leaf blade have glands at their tips
- the hairs on the leaf blade are different from the choices given
- Leaf blade length
- 3–6 mm
- Leaf blade scales
- there are no scales on the leaf blades
- Leaf blade shape
- the leaf blade is linear (very narrow with more or less parallel sides)
- Leaf blade texture
- the leaf blade is coriaceous (has a firm, leathery texture)
- Leaf blade translucent dots
- there are no translucent dots on the leaf blade
- Leaf blade vein pattern
- the main veins of the leaf blade are pinnate (the secondary veins branch off at intervals from the main central vein) and non-arcuate (not arched towards the leaf tip)
- Leaf blade veins
- the leaf blade has one main vein running from the base toward the tip
- Leaf blade width
- 0.5–0.8 mm
- Leaf duration
- the leaves remain green all winter
- Leaf form
- the plant has leaves that are needle-like (narrow and thickened) or scale-like (small, thin and lacking leaf stalks)
- Leaf lobe tips (Quercus)
- NA
- Leaf midrib glands
- the midrib of the leaf blade lacks glands on the upper surface
- Leaf stalk
- the leaves have leaf stalks
- Leaf stalk attachment to leaf
- the petiole attaches at the basal margin of the leaf blade
- Leaf stalk nectaries
- there are no nectaries on the leaf stalk
- Leaf stalk shape
- the leaf stalk is not flattened
- Leaf teeth
-
- the edge of the leaf blade is entire (has no teeth or lobes)
- the leaf blade margin has teeth, which themselves have smaller teeth on them
- Leaf teeth hairs (Carya)
- NA
- Leaf type
- the leaf blade is simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Leaves per node
-
- there are four leaves per node along the stem
- there are three leaves per node along the stem
- there are two leaves per node along the stem
- Specific leaf type
- the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets
- Stipules
- there are no stipules on the plant, or they fall off as the leaf expands
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Specific habitat
-
- grasslands
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- sandplains or barrens
- shrublands or thickets
- woodlands
-
Scent
- Plant odor
- the plant does not have much of an odor, or it has an unpleasant or repellant odor
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Aerial roots
- the plant has no aerial roots
- Bark texture
-
- the bark of an adult plant is thin and smooth
- the bark of an adult plant peels off easily or hangs off
- Branch brittleness (willows only)
- NA
- Branch cross-section
- the branch is circular in cross-section, or it has five or more sides, so that there are no sharp angles
- First-year cane (Rubus)
- NA
- Lenticels on twigs
- there are no lenticels on the twigs, or they are very hard to see
- Twig bloom
- there is no bloom on the twig
- Twig hairs
-
- the twigs have few or no hairs on them
- the twigs have hairs, but the hairs do not have glands
- Twig papillae (Vaccinium species only)
- NA
- Twig scales
- there are no scales on the twig surface
- Twig winter color
-
- gray
- orange
- Wings on branch
- the branch does not have wings on it
- armature on plant
- the plant does not have spines, prickles, or thorns
Wetland status
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- absent
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Maine
- uncommon to fairly widespread (S-rank: S3S4)
- Massachusetts
- uncommon (S-rank: S3)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
1. Corema conradii (Torr.) Torr. ex Loud. N
broom-crowberry. Empetrum conradii Torr. • MA, ME. Woodlands, heathlands, roadsides, and open sandy or ledgy areas along the coastal plain, often associated with Pinus rigida and various shrubs of the Ericaceae (e.g., Vaccinium angustifolium, Gaylussacia baccata). A specimen of this species stated to have been collected from the White Mountains of NH— Oakes s.n. (NY; image seen!)—is very likely a labeling error.
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Empetrum nigrum:
- flowers and fruits on pedicels from the axils of leaves, leaf blades entire, and plants trailing over the ground (vs. C. conradii, with flowers and fruits in small, terminal clusters, leaf blades minutely denticulate, and plants ascending to erect).
Synonyms
- Empetrum conradii Torr.