creeping snowberry

Symphoricarpos mollis

Member of snowberries (genus Symphoricarpos)
honeysuckle family (family Caprifoliaceae)
dicots (class Magnoliopsida)
pale purple, red purple in flowering plants

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• Plant 15–60 cm, sprawling
• corolla scarcely or not swollen, 5 nectary glands, 1 below each corolla lobe
• inflorescence generally 2–8-flowered

Edibility: Contains saponins, and saponins make things taste like soap [source]. Sapopins are also toxic, although poorly absorbed. It would take many kilos of fruit from this plant in order to produce toxic symptoms [source]. Not to be confused with a tastier creeping snowberry, Gaultheria hispidula.

Toxicity of snowberry, coral berry (Symphoricarpos spp., Symphoricarpus spp.):
3 – Ingestion of these plants is expected to cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms that may cause illness but is not life-threatening.

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Chris’s observations: 14 (4 are research grade)

Locations:

• Nisene Marks SP: 5
• DeLaveaga Park, Santa Cruz: 2
• Portola Redwoods SP: 2
• Edgewood Park & Natural Preserve
• Henry Cowell Redwoods SP
• Jacks Peak CP
• Picchetti Ranch OSP
• Sam McDonald CP

Months:

• May: 2
• Jun.: 0
• Jul.: 2
• Aug.: 2
• Sep.: 6
• Oct.: 1
• Nov.: 1

For more details, use advanced search.

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Not all sites include this taxon:

• Symphoricarpos mollis → iNaturalist – Calflora – CalPhotos – Jepson eFlora
• not yet listed → FNA

Bay Area species: iNaturalist – Calflora