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Common Snowberry

Symphoricarpos albus

Photo by LarsKorb
Published on Project Noah
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53.4316, 10.3886

Field Notes

Notes:

Native Americans used the plant as a medicine and a soap, and sometimes for food, and the wood was good for arrow shafts.
This shrub is used for erosion control in riparian areas, and it is planted in ecological restoration projects on disturbed sites such as abandoned mines. Its white fruits make it popular as an ornamental plant

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (6)
LarsKorb
The clustered arranegment of the berries is usual for the common snowberry (albus); I know there are other species that also have different colored fruits
LarsKorb
I think they have once been cultivated, but spread naturally/wildly here since I can remember - we have also snowberries growing close to and in woods around here naturally
shebebusynow
I'm also wondering at the variation: the berries I see here are more single; these seem to be in close clusters. Is that the way they usually are there?
shebebusynow
So are they naturalized there? or planted? They are used in landscaping here sometimes, though mostly I see them wild as the understory to a forest.
LarsKorb
These have been growing near the shoreline of the Elbe - so, obviously they are able to arrange with different conditions. They are also spread worldwide.
shebebusynow
These are considered poisonous to eat by everyone I know & the published sources I can find, though in very small amounts they might be used as medicine in certain cases. They are very noticeable in winter, as they cling to the bush for months when leaves have fallen. They don't grow on the coast, but they seem to like the places oaks like.

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Fruiting Bodies of the World
Photographed
PublishedFebruary 8, 2012

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