My last flower was from over 10,000 feet in elevation. I thought that this week I'd bring it a little further down, closer to sea level. This week's pick is the common Snowberry.
The snowberry, Symphoricarpos, is a member of the honeysuckle family. Also known as waxberry or ghost berry, it is usually recognized by the closely packed greenish-white to pink berries it produces. Native to North America, this shrub grows to 3-5 feet and spreads out to 4-6 feet wide. Leaves are typically 1.5 inches long and elliptic to oval in shape, thin and light green on the upper surface and paler below.
The flowers appear in the spring to mid summer in small dense clusters at the ends of the branches. They are pinkish to white, only around 3/16" long, and bell-shaped.
The Snowberry is attractive to bees and butterflies during blooming and the berries provide a winter feast for the birds. (Tacoma, WA, May, 2014)
The Snowberry has been listed as threatened in Maryland and endangered in Kentucky.
(Tacoma, WA, May, 2014)
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