Salal Berry
From NarratingLandscapes
by Coral
Family: ERICACEAE (Heather Family)
Species Name: Gaultheria shallon (Pursh)
Common Name: Salal
Habitat (at collection): Along a fenced area in close proximity to the parking area. Other proximate vegetation included blackberry bushes and fern plants.
Notes: Shrub with dark green oval shaped leaves with some muted red leaves. Height was approximately 4’-5’ with full foliage and spindly branches. Fruit has a slightly fuzzy texture with a colour that ranged from a dark purple/blue (ripened fruit) to a muted white/pink (unripened fruit). The fruit is seedy but with a pleasant, sweet taste.
Ethnobotanical Uses: The berries can be consumed either raw or cooked. Historically the berries were prepared for storage, used as a thickener for salmon eggs and as a sweetener for other foods. Purple dye was also produced from the berries. In addition, the branches were cut and used to beat Soapberries into “Indian ice cream” (Turner, 2006).
A fruit bearing evergreen that typically ranges from a low-lying to an upright shrub with a typical height of 30-50 cm. In particularly humid conditions the species can reach upward of 2 m in height. The tough leaves are oval-shaped with tips that are prominently pointed. The short, reddish-grey toned branches are wiry but robust. The spherical, fuzzy textured berries are a soft pink/white colour when unripened. The ripened berries have a colour ranging from a dark blue to a deep black/purple. The ripened berries are quite seedy but the flavour is sweet and very pleasing. The bell-shaped flowers are formed in long, one-sided clusters that range from white to a soft pink colour.
This shrub grows in forested coastal regions that are humid, equally flourishing in either shade or sun. It is particularly plentiful in areas that have been recently logged and is often found growing adjacent to rotting logs and stumps. The distribution range of this species is throughout much of the Pacific North West. The range extends typically no further than 55° latitude with an easterly break on the slopes of the Coast and Cascade mountains.
Works Cited:
Turner, N. J. (2006). Royal BC Museum Handbook, Food Plants of Coastal First. BC: Royal BC Museum.
Turner, N. J. (2007). Royal BC Museum Handbook, Plant Technology of the First Peoples in British Columbia. BC: Royal BC Museum.
E-Flora BC. (2008). Electronic Atlas of the plants of British Columbia. Retrieved July 31, 2008, from http://www.eflora.bc.ca/.
Image Citations:
Salal Specimen - C. Voss, 2008.
Salal Berries - C. Voss, 2008.
For more information about Salal Berry:
First Nations of B.C. use salal as a food.
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