I used to occasionally see this shrub as an old-fashioned plant placed around the foundations of old houses from the 1890's through the 1920's in the Chicago, IL area in the 1970's into the 1990's. It was used like the old-fashioned Vanhoutte Spirea was with the same houses. The Common Snowberry has a large native range from most of Ontario way up into British Colombia, along the Pacific Northwest down to central California, in much of the Rocky Mountains, spots in the northern Great Plains, northern Minnesota, much of Wisconsin & Michigan, northern & central Illinois, over to areas in the Mid-Atlantic to areas of New York & New England in upland wooded sites and on slopes, cliffs, and banks. It is fast growing and with its shallow, fibrous root system it can ground sucker to form a colony. It has pretty bluish-green, opposite, rounded leaves about 2 inches long that leaf out early in spring. It bears tiny pinkish-white flowers that develop into large white berries about 5/8 inch in diameter in September through November that is eaten by birds and small mammals. One might find some at large, diverse or specialty nurseries, but many native plant nurseries sell some.

Reply to this comment

Native in the Pacific Northwest from Alaska to California, east across Canada and northern U.S. to the Atlantic coast. Waxy white berries hold through winter, and contain low concentrations of saponin causing vomiting and dizziness. Potential medicinal uses: infusion of fruit used as eyewash; crushed berries rubbed on burns, rashes, and sores; decoction of roots and stems used as diuretic and for venereal diseases; tea of roots used to clear up afterbirth. This is an important native shrub providing shelter and food for birds and small mammals, browse for large mammals. The leaves are eaten by the sphinx moth larvae. This plant makes a great combination with sword ferns in the winter, with the berries suspended above the ferns.

Reply to this comment

Honey bees get nectar and pollen from this plant.

Reply to this comment