Plant Highlights

Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus is a species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family known by the common name Common Snowberry.

Native to the Pacific coast, Snowberry grows in shady and moist mountain and forest habitat, in woodlands and on floodplains and riverbanks. It can grow in a wide variety of habitat types. It is an erect, deciduous shrub to 6-7' in height, it can spread and colonize an area to form a dense thicket. Snowberry likes sun to shade, some summer water. Hummingbirds visit this in summer when the small, pinkish flowers appear. Its white fruits and blue-green foliage made it popular as an ornamental plant.

This shrub is an important food source for a number of animals, including bighorn sheep and white-tailed deer. Many birds and small mammals use it for food and cover. Native Americans used the plant as a medicine and a soap, and sometimes for food, and the wood was good for arrow shafts. Common Snowberry is used for erosion control in riparian areas, and it is planted in ecological restoration projects on disturbed sites.