Snowberry

January 3, 2021June 14, 2023
Flora and Fauna, Native to BC
by dhir

All photos taken by the author. Last updated January 4, 2021.

Snowberries (*Symphoricarpos albus*) in December.

Contrasting with a background of brown decaying plant matter, the vibrant white berries also called waxberry are easy to spot this week. In late spring and summer (these photos are from July 11), you would look instead for the small pink flowers and irregularly lobed leaves.

Some of the large, irregularly lobed leaves of the snowberry plant.

The pink and white flowers of a snowberry plant in early July, 2020.

Side view of the pink and white snowberry flowers in early July 2020. You can imagine how this cluster of flowers becomes a cluster of berries.

Some First Peoples in BC used snowberry branches for brooms, hollowed out the twigs for pipes, and sharpened sticks for skewers and arrow shafts. The berries were known to be inedible. DO NOT EAT ANY WILD PLANTS OR FUNGI UNLESS YOU ARE 100% SURE THEY ARE SAFE.

For more about snowberries and wildlife, as well as excellent photos in all seasons, check out this Oregon State University post.

The top view of a smaller cluster of snowberries in December.

A snowberry twig. Notice the opposite attachment of the leaf buds.

So go for a walk near a lake and look for some bright white berries. You can be pretty confident that you have found yourself some inedible but interesting snowberries.

Books I read:

“Common Snowberry.” Plant Technology of First Peoples in British Columbia, by Nancy J. Turner, Royal British Columbia Museum, 2019, p. 165.

“Waxberry.” Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples, by Nancy J. Turner, Royal British Columbia Museum, 2017, pp. 142-143.

“Waxberry.” Food Plants of Interior First Peoples, by Nancy J. Turner, Royal British Columbia Museum, 2017, pp. 184-185.