western snowberry

Symphoricarpos occidentalis H.

characteristics

Thicket forming subshrub that spreads readily by suckers. Stems are light green turning red-brown; mature bark is grey-brown and shedding. Grey-green leaves are toothed or lobed. Clusters of small pinkish white flowers, with protruding white hairs, become greenish white berries that then turn purple in fall.

Berries are mildly toxic when eaten.

75,033 seeds/pound; starts from seed, bare root, cuttings.

habitat

Prairie, hillsides, swales, roadsides, and woodlands.

uses

Used as food, cover and nesting sites by songbirds, and small mammals.

Pollinated by bees, butterflies, and moths.