Corema album (L.) D. Don, the white crowberry – a new crop

Abstract

Received 24 May 2012; accepted 13 July 2012 Abstract. Corema album (Ericaceae), 'Camarinhas', or the 'white crowberry', is a white-berried perennial adapted to sandy soils in the Iberian Peninsula which has been consumed by humans for many centuries. It occurs naturally on sand dunes and cliffs of the Atlantic coast from Gibraltar to Finisterre, and in the Azores on volcanic lava and ash fields. It has the possibility to become a new niche berry crop, because its fruits have a distinct colour (white), and provide high nutritional value. It has the potential to spread throughout southern Europe and the Mediterranean basin. The round, white, berry-like drupes (0.3-0.5 g), have a strong skin, and usually have three large seeds with a thick endocarp. The fruits can be marketable after five days at room temperature, and some samples have been acceptable after five months at 4 ◦ C. Here, the taxonomy, biology, and potential production system aria (9). Most of the seeds were figs (Ficus carica), 97%, and grapes (Vitis vinifera), 2.4%, mulberry (Morus nigra), 0.07%; raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.), 0.02%; plum (Prunus domestica), 0.02%, strawberry (Fragaria vesca), 0.02%; and Camarinhas, 0.01%, were also present. Since C. album did not grow in Lisbon, the fruit must have been collected from nearby populations and transported to Lisbon, and this activity was continued until the 16th century (47). Recently, there have been renewed efforts to commercialize different fruit species that have not been commonly used in Europe or North America. This has been done successfully with kiwifruit and saskatoon berries, which has encouraged scientists to examine other fruit species.