Snowberry (Symphoricarpos)

We saw these yesterday when we were looking for supplies for our pine cone crafts. They look and feel like little marshmallows until you squeeze too hard and a liquid barely comes out. Kind of unsatisfying but majestic to look at. Some folks on the inter-webz agree that its fun to jump on them because they make a popping sound, I have yet to try that. Lets discover some interesting things about these innocent looking plants:

• Are not meant to be eaten and are poisonous. If ingested they cause vomiting and dizziness.
• Foam up if submersed in water
• Are said to be eaten by Native Americans to settle the stomach after a fatty meal
• The stems, leaves, and roots are eaten by many animals such as bears, quail, rabbits, mice, deer and elk.
• Seeds from the shrub are dispersed by birds
• Are great for disturbed sites because they re-sprout readily after fires by spreading rhizomes. This restores damaged places to better health ecologically.
• Young snowberry and plant

• Come in many colours such as white, pink, red, and sometimes a blackish purple.
• The name comes from how the inside of the berry looks: like icy snow.
• The scientific name means 'closely packed berries'
• Eaten by birds during hard winters.
• The plant fares well in generally neglected environments and are very tolerant so they grow in many places.
• The berries stay intact throughout winter and fall during the spring.

*Fun Fact: Marshmallows were originally made from a plant called Althaea officinalis and originated in Ancient Egypt. The plant is used as a medicinal plant in Africa.

Sources:
http://www.bentler.us/eastern-washington/plants/shrubs/snowberry.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphoricarpos
http://www.thepoisongarden.co.uk/atoz/symphoricarpos_albus.htm
http://www-saps.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/trees/snowberry.htm
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/archive/dickinso/research/2005/range05a.htm
http://www.metrofieldguide.com/wildlife-plants-snowberry/