Snowberries (Symphoricarpos)
Plants & Shrubs: Snowberry
Every day, or nearly every day, my wife and I take a walk around the Fairmount Loop in Portland, Oregon. On our walks, we always see the small white berries of the snow berry shrubs that grow in the area. The Snowberry (Symphoricarpos) is a small genus of about 15 different species of deciduous shrubs. There are some species that are native to western China; however, most of the species are native to North America and Central American countries. The name of the genus is derived from the Greek words συμφορεῖν (sumphoreîn), meaning “to bear together”, and καρπός (karpós), meaning “fruit.” The name seems to refer to the closely packed clusters of berries that tend to grow when the shrubs bear fruit. These berries are also referred to as waxberries and ghostberries.
Snowberry is a resilient plant able to withstand a variety of conditions. Their deep roots allow them to survive dry seasons, and they have been known to grow in a variety of soil types such as light sandy soil, medium loamy soil and heavier clay soil. Snowberry plants are most commonly found low-to mid elevations, in forests, dry or moist openings, rocky hillsides or near riverbanks and streams. Snowberry plants are also able to grow in a wide range of acidic and basic pHs as well as low sun and high sunlight conditions.
Interestly these Snowberry plants are listed by the National Fire Protection Association as “fire resistant plants that are appropriate” for backyard understory growth. Since no plants are fire-proof, the association is looking for plants that are low in sap and volitile oils. They are also plants that shed dead material, like leaves and branches, composting them as they break down on the ground.
Description of these poisonous berries
Symphoricarpos leaves are 0.6–2 inches long, rounded, entire or with one or two lobes at the base. The flowers are small and range in color from greenish-white to pink. They grow in small clusters of 5–15 fruit berries together in most species, solitary or in pairs in some. The fruit is conspicuous, 0.5–1 inches in diameter, soft, varying from white (e.g. S. albus) to pink (S. microphyllus) to red (S. orbiculatus) and in one species (S. sinensis), blackish purple.
When the white berries are broken open, the interior looks like fine, sparkling granular snow. The flesh is spongy and contains two whitish stone seeds. The seeds, which contain endosperm and a small embryo, are egg-shaped and more or less flattened. They have a very tough, hard, impermeable covering, and so are very difficult to germinate. The seeds may lie dormant for up to ten years before they germinate.
The berries are not edible, but they have a wintergreen flavor, similar to the related wintergreen plant (Gaultheria procumbens). The white berries create a cracking sound when they are stepped into firm ground.
Snowberry is a hermaphroditic species, meaning it contains both male and female reproductive organs. It has the ability to grow via seeds but typically reproduces by releasing shoots from a rhizome. This method of shoot dispersal allows snowberry to grow in dense populations of bushes and trees. Snowberry plants also tend to use a reproductive method called layering in which the plant’s vertical stems will wilt and droop until they touch surrounding soil. Upon making contact with soil, roots will begin to form.
Snowberry plants are resilient and studies have proved they are able to tolerate dormant seasonal fires. These fires actually encourage the snowberry plant’s layering reproductive method, as the regeneration of new plants results in an increased number of stems and therefore more opportunities for layering to occur.
Common snowberry (S. albus) is a resilient plant that thrives in dry woodland conditions. Its berries ripen during fall and last through winter, making it an important winter food source for quail and grouse; however, the berries are considered poisonous to humans. The berries contain the isoquinoline alkaloid chelidonine, as well as other alkaloids. Ingesting the berries causes mild symptoms of vomiting, dizziness, and slight sedation in children.
Henry E. Hooper 