The Forestry Forum

General Forestry => Tree, Plant and Wood I.D. => Topic started by: SwampDonkey on January 10, 2006, 10:06:26 AM

Title: What's it??? Solved: Creeping Snowberry - edible
Post by: SwampDonkey on January 10, 2006, 10:06:26 AM
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/SD_WhiteBerry.jpg)

Creeping, pubescent stem with rounded waxy leaves and white berries.

So what is it? ;D
Title: Re: What's it???
Post by: sprucebunny on January 10, 2006, 05:59:24 PM
Partridge berry ???  Mitchella repens
Title: Re: What's it???
Post by: SwampDonkey on January 10, 2006, 07:32:52 PM
Try again, good guess. ;)
Title: Re: What's it???
Post by: Tom on January 10, 2006, 07:43:26 PM
Gaultheria hispidula
Creeping Snowberry   ?
Title: Re: What's it???
Post by: SwampDonkey on January 10, 2006, 07:48:35 PM
Quote from: Tom on January 10, 2006, 07:43:26 PM
Gaultheria hispidula
Creeping Snowberry   ?

Yup!  8)  Tom do you folks have some down that far? It's hard to find them at the right timing to get the berries. But they are edible.
Title: Re: What's it??? Solved: Creeping Snowberry - edible
Post by: Tom on January 10, 2006, 07:57:54 PM
Are you kidding?   Snow is a descriptive word here used for up-there.  :D


I don't know the range of the one you have.  We have a Snowberry  (Chiococca alba) but I'm not familiar with it.  I like eating stuff in the woods and if it were very popular fare, I'm sure I would have tried it.  :D
Title: Re: What's it??? Solved: Creeping Snowberry - edible
Post by: SwampDonkey on January 10, 2006, 08:01:15 PM
It's a species of wintergreen, maybe it's not that far south. There are very few wild white berries I'de dare eat unless I knew what they were. If you eat a handful of white baneberry for instance, you'd literally loose your breath in a short time. ;)
Title: Re: What's it??? Solved: Creeping Snowberry - edible
Post by: Riles on January 10, 2006, 09:09:37 PM
My dendro professor was showing us American mistletoe Phoradendron serotinum last week and I mentioned the old survival school rule on berries. 90% of white are poisonous, 90% of blue are edible, and red are 50/50. He'd never heard of it and didn't think they were poisonous. I hit the Internet and man did I find conflicting information. Somebody's just gonna have to go out there and chomp down on a handful.
Title: Re: What's it??? Solved: Creeping Snowberry - edible
Post by: SwampDonkey on January 11, 2006, 07:58:46 AM
Quote from: Riles on January 10, 2006, 09:09:37 PM
My dendro professor was showing us American mistletoe Phoradendron serotinum last week and I mentioned the old survival school rule on berries. 90% of white are poisonous, 90% of blue are edible, and red are 50/50. He'd never heard of it and didn't think they were poisonous. I hit the Internet and man did I find conflicting information. Somebody's just gonna have to go out there and chomp down on a handful.

It's never been confirmed, so I wouldn't want to be the guinee pig.  ;)

Another white berry is from the red osier dogwood, it's not poisonous but very unpleasant. :D
Title: Re: What's it??? Solved: Creeping Snowberry - edible
Post by: Stephen_Wiley on January 12, 2006, 07:18:41 PM
Around these parts, snowberry (Symphiocarpus spp.) are considered poisonous natives use to use them in bread mix.  However even they recorded serious upset stomach along with the runs.s.s.s.s.s.s...s.s.
::)
Title: Re: What's it??? Solved: Creeping Snowberry - edible
Post by: SwampDonkey on January 12, 2006, 09:01:32 PM
Quote from: Stephen_Wiley on January 12, 2006, 07:18:41 PM
Around these parts, snowberry (Symphiocarpus spp.) are considered poisonous natives use to use them in bread mix.  However even they recorded serious upset stomach along with the runs.s.s.s.s.s.s...s.s.
::)

Gotta be careful of the species for sure.
Title: Re: What's it??? Solved: Creeping Snowberry - edible
Post by: Dana on February 08, 2006, 07:32:33 PM
Swampdonkey, we have a plant here in Michigan that looks very similiar. However the berrys are red. My dad always called it squawberry.
Title: Re: What's it??? Solved: Creeping Snowberry - edible
Post by: SwampDonkey on February 08, 2006, 07:51:47 PM
Could it be wintergreen? Also a Gaultheria species.  And an ingredient I'm told of the mighty RUST REAPER. ;)

Does it have a mint smell when crushed?
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=148

There is also partridge berry.
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/mrepens.htm
Title: Re: What's it??? Solved: Creeping Snowberry - edible
Post by: Dana on February 08, 2006, 08:31:32 PM
The link to the partridge berry is it. :) Thanks
Title: Re: What's it??? Solved: Creeping Snowberry - edible
Post by: SwampDonkey on June 09, 2007, 07:59:33 PM
Just bringing this post up top because of another Gaultheria species, one found in the Pacific Northwest. It may be of economic importance according to this link. If you ever had to work in it, you might not be as passionate about it. ;) Salal is very tolerant of both open sun and shady conditions. In coastal areas it can form deep, nearly impenetrable thickets.

http://www.royalroads.net/ntfp/casestudies/case-studies/salal/

It is salal, Gaultheria shallon. It grows extensively on the lowlands of Graham Island (one of the Queen Charlotte Islands in NW BC).