{"id":13628,"date":"2018-08-06T11:44:27","date_gmt":"2018-08-06T11:44:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=13628"},"modified":"2026-03-12T17:34:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T17:34:24","slug":"symphoricarpos-albus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/wetland\/plants\/symphoricarpos-albus","title":{"rendered":"Snowberry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>Symphoricarpos albus<\/em> &#8211; Snowberry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">At a Glance:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Family:  Caprifoliaceae<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Plant Type:  Deciduous erect shrub<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Distribution: Widespread across most of North America<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Habitat: Thickets and open slopes at low to mid-elevations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Height:   up to 6 feet tall <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Flower\/Fruits:   small clusters of pink\/white flowers. Named for the white round \u201cberries\u201d that develop and remain on the stem into the winter.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Flowering Season: May-August<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Leaves:   leaves opposite. Leaf shape varies drastically for this plant &#8211; look for a bunch of different shapes! Generally elliptic\/ovate, but can be deeply lobed. Sometimes with a smooth margin or toothed edges. Green with a lighter green underside.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Generation: Perennial<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Notable feature: One of the few shrubs in the PNW that are oppositely arranged. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Restoration and Conservation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Snowberry is a valuable plant to many types of animals in the Pacific Northwest. As a flower, the nectar is a useful food source to many bees, insects, and pollinators, including the Anna\u2019s and rufous hummingbirds. The berries, which last into the winter, are eaten by birds like towhees, thrushes, robins, grosbeaks, and waxwings. The thickets and shrubs provide cover for small birds to hide in. Birds aside, the sphinx moth (Sphinx vashti) uses snowberry as it\u2019s only food source in larval stage in the Pacific Northwest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ethnobotany<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The snowberry shrub has been an important medicinal and household plant to many Naive Americans.  Snowberry contains saponins, a naturally soapy substance useful for treating and cleansing the skin. Snowberry was used to kill body parasites, clean and heal wounds, used as an eye wash for sore eyes, and as a diluted tonic, used as a gentle cleanser for babies and children. The Chehalis Tribe is documented for using the berries to wash hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">References and Resources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/temperate.theferns.info\/plant\/Symphoricarpos+albus\">Symphoricarpos albus<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.butterfliesandmoths.org\/species\/Sphinx-vashti\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">BMNA: Sphinx vashti<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/naeb.brit.org\/uses\/species\/3849\">NEAB: Symphoricarpos albus<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/treetopics\/2016\/06\/24\/shrubs-wildlife-snowberryhttp:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/treetopics\/2016\/06\/24\/shrubs-wildlife-snowberry\">OSU: Snowberry<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/biology.burke.washington.edu\/herbarium\/imagecollection\/taxon.php?Taxon=Symphoricarpos%20albus\">WTU: Symphoricarpos albus<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This article was written by Sarah Verlinde. For questions regarding the UWB\/CC Plant Tour, contact Sarah at <a href=\"mailto:severlin@uw.edu?subject=Native%20plant%20tour%20inquiry\">severlin@uw.edu<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Symphoricarpos albus &#8211; Snowberry At a Glance: Restoration and Conservation Snowberry is a valuable plant to many types of animals in the Pacific Northwest. As a flower, the nectar is a useful food source to many bees, insects, and pollinators, including the Anna\u2019s and rufous hummingbirds. The berries, which last into the winter, are eaten&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":13590,"menu_order":47,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-13628","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":"","link_2":"","link_3":"","link_4":"","link_5":""},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":"","button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"Tyson Kemper","email":"wildhair@uw.edu","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Snowberry - North Creek Wetland<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/wetland\/plants\/symphoricarpos-albus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Snowberry - North Creek Wetland\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Symphoricarpos albus &#8211; Snowberry At a Glance: Restoration and Conservation Snowberry is a valuable plant to many types of animals in the Pacific Northwest. 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