Saturday, November 19, 2011

snowberry ~ 11/19/11 ~ Garland Ranch

common snowberry
Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus
Caprifoliaceae

I have yet to notice the pretty pink flowers of the snowberry. However, the bright white, small marshmallow-looking berries are so easy to spot, especially when most of the leaves have dropped. The other species of snowberry at Garland is the creeping snowberry (Symphoricarpos mollis), which according to the USDA is only native to CA and NV. To me they look nearly identical in photos, except for the obvious difference, one is erect and the other creeps along the ground. I'll try to keep a look-out next year for the flowers, which, if my books are correct, should bloom in the spring.

2 comments:

Jennifer said...

If you want to see the most gorgeous blooming snowberries you've ever seen, hike the bobcat trail at Andrew Molera in spring. Steve and I came upon them there and at the time I didn't know what it was. The bushes were so beautiful and delicate, and the flowers were so cute and lovely....I wanted some of these bushes for myself! I picked off part of a bush and took it home so I could identify it. Snowberry!

Katie (Nature ID) said...

Thanks for the hiking recommendation, Jennifer!