A thicket-forming shrub bearing round, white, spongy berries that hang on bare twigs all winter and pop underfoot
Snowberry — Symphoricarpos albus.
Nature · Shrubs
Snowberry
Neophyte · introduced 1817 · deciduous, to 2 m · fruit autumn–winter · hedges, woods, waste ground
Symphoricarpos albus — Caprifoliaceae
Snowberry is the thicket-forming North American shrub whose clusters of round, white, spongy berries hang on bare stems through winter. Introduced in 1817, it was planted for hedging and as cover for pheasants and is now common across lowland Britain. It spreads mainly by suckers and is found in hedges, woods, parks and waste ground.
How to spot them
- ▸Suckering deciduous shrub, often forming thickets of slender, arching stems, to about 2 m
- ▸Round, waxy, pure white berries in clusters that persist into winter, and pop when trodden on
- ▸Small, dull pink bell flowers in short spikes through summer
- ▸Small, rounded to oval, blue-green leaves, opposite, sometimes lobed on vigorous shoots
- ▸Look-alikes: mistletoe has white berries but grows on trees; other honeysuckle-family shrubs have coloured berries
How to know it
Introduced to Britain from the west of North America in 1817, it was known in the wild by 1863 at Crouch Hill, Oxfordshire
Snowberry.
It was planted as woodland cover on shooting estates for rearing pheasants
Snowberry.
It spreads by suckering to form dense thickets, and in Britain reproduction from seed is unknown
Snowberry.
Its genus name comes from Greek words meaning 'to bear together', for the fruits clustered together
Snowberry — Symphoricarpos.
Its berries are white, but they are not the mistletoe berry, and they are mildly poisonous if eaten in quantity
Snowberry.
Quick-fire facts
- •Symphoricarpos albus, family Caprifoliaceae; albus is Latin for white
- •A North American shrub introduced into cultivation in Britain in 1817 and known in the wild by 1863 at Crouch Hill, Oxfordshire (BSBI)
- •A neophyte, very common and widespread in lowland Britain and Ireland (BSBI)
- •The naturalised plant is the western variety laevigatus (BSBI)
- •Spreads by vigorous suckering into dense thickets; regeneration from seed is unknown in Britain (BSBI)
- •Planted in gardens, hedges and woodlands for game cover, especially on pheasant shoots (BSBI)
- •Symphoricarpos derives from Greek symphorein, 'to bear together', and karpos, fruit
- •The berries are mildly toxic, and are not sold as food
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Sources
- Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland — Symphoricarpos albus (Snowberry)