Symphoricarpos albus (L.) S.F. Blake
Common snowberry
Snowberry, named for its white fruits, is native to temperate North America, and in scattered locales in the southwest. It is often grown as an ornamental shrub.
Plants: Deciduous rounded shrubs are 3–6′ (91–182 cm) in size.
Leaves: Opposite, entire (unlobed), oblong-elliptic, ½–1½ ⨉ ⅜–1″ (1.5–4 ⨉ 1–3 cm).
Flowers: Pink or white, 4- or 5-parted, bell-shaped, and up to ⅛″ (4.8 mm) long. Flowers bloom in small clusters, and appear from June to July.
Fruits: White berries persist through the winter, and are ⅜–½″ (1–1.5 cm) in diameter, containing two seeds. They make a satisfying pop when you step on them, based on research I performed as an 8-year-old.
Habitats: Dry to moist open forests, clearings, and rocky slopes. Full sun to partial shade.
Edibility: 
Poisonous. Saponins in
the berries
cause vomiting in people and make them unpalatable to many animals and birds, and very poisonous to fish.
Bighorn sheep, white-tailed deer, grizzly bears, cattle, and sheep are able to eat them. The saponins
were used by some native Americans as soap.
Online References:
References:
6/11/2025 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (52 × 34 cm) 
8/25/2007 · Tillamook State Forest, Oregon 
5/28/2009 · Mesa Verde, Cortez, Colorado · ≈ 2 × 1½″ (5.9 × 3.9 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
6/11/2025 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (48 × 34 cm) 
7/26/2025 · River Point Conservation Area, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 15 cm) 
7/26/2025 · River Point Conservation Area, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 8 × 6″ (21 × 14 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Dipsacales | Includes viburnum, honeysuckle, snowberry, beautybush, twinflower, many others |
| Family | Caprifoliaceae | Honeysuckle family |
| Genus | Symphoricarpos | From Greek symphorein, “borne together,” and karpos, “fruit,” for the berry clusters |
| Species | albus | White |
Symphoricarpos albus description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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