Snowberries are deciduous shrubs in the Symphoricarpos genus of the honeysuckle family. Their white berries are edible but taste like soap. Three species of snowberries are native to the Yuba-Sutter area.

Upright Snowberry

Upright snowberry is a three- to six-foot-tall, pink-flowering, deciduous shrub that is native to Yuba and Sutter Counties and typically grows at elevations below 4,000 feet. It is most often found in canyons in central oak woodland and yellow pine forest. It attracts Western tanagers. Chalcedon checkerspot butterfly caterpillars eat its leaves.

You can read more about it at the Theodore Payne Wiki, the Las Pilitas Nursery website, and USDA Conservation Plant Characteristics. You can find out where to buy it at the California Native Plant Link Exchange. You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa.

Trailing Snowberry

A very young trailing snowberry (Symphoricarpos mollis) in a garden in Marysville. Photo by queerbychoice. Trailing snowberry is a two- to three-foot-tall by three-foot-wide, pink-flowering, deciduous shrub that is native to Yuba County and typically grows at elevations below 10,000 feet. It is found in yellow pine forest. It prefers shade. It attracts Western tanagers. Bumblebee moth caterpillars eat its leaves, and the adult moths drink the nectar of its flowers.

You can read more about it at the Theodore Payne Wiki and the Las Pilitas Nursery website. You can find out where to buy it at the California Native Plant Link Exchange. You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa.

Spreading Snowberry

Spreading snowberry (also called sharpleaf snowberry) is a pink-flowering, deciduous shrub that is native to Yuba County and typically grows at elevations between 3,500 and 8,000 feet. It is found in yellow pine forest. It attracts Western tanagers. Bumblebee moth caterpillars eat its leaves, and the adult moths drink the nectar of its flowers.

You can find out where to buy it at the California Native Plant Link Exchange. You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa.