Salal
(Gaultheria shallon)

Salal can be upright or ground crawling, and grows from 0.2 to 5 metres in height. Salal can be sparse or form a dense barrier almost impossible to penetrate.

Salal spreads by suckering layer upon layer and is probably the most dominant shrub in the British Columbia coastal forest area.

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LEAVES:

- spoon shaped and pointed, 2 to 4 inches long

- shiny dark green, leathery and tough

- finely toothed edges

- evergreen

FLOWERS:

- bell shaped hanging like necklace beads along the end of the twigs; they all face downwards

- pinkish or white

- bloom from May to July

- 7-10 mm. long, can be larger at the end of the branch (up to 15 mm.)

FRUIT:

- black, reddish-blue or dark purple 'berries' 6-10 mm. long; somewhat hairy

HABITAT:

- Salal grows from sea level to mid elevations.

- Salal is found in coniferous coastal forests and sometimes around Kootenay Lake in southeastern BC.

FASCINATING FACTS:

- the strong, flexible branches and stems of the Salal plant are well designed to withstand the wet heavy snows; they merely bend instead of breaking

- Salal berries have long been a major food source for BC's native peoples.