All three species are evergreen mat forming shrubs, with small, light green needle-like leaves 3–10 millimetres (1⁄8–3⁄8 in) long.

[2] The genus and related ones such as Ceratiola and Corema[3] were for most of the 20th century classified in their own family Empetraceae, but molecular data, leaf morphology, and other considerations point to their inclusion in the Ericaceae (specifically, as a tribe within the subfamily Ericoideae).

The vitamin content of crowberries is low, as is also the concentration of volatile liquids, the lack of which makes them almost odorless.

[citation needed] In subarctic areas, Empetrum has been a vital addition to the diet of the Inuit and the Sami.

The leaves and stems are used in Dena'ina medicine for diarrhea and stomach problems; they are boiled or soaked in hot water, and the strained liquid drunk.

Crowberries are also occasionally grown as ornamental plants in rockeries, notably the yellow-foliage cultivar Empetrum nigrum 'Lucia'.