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Friday, May 23, 2014

Salal (Gaultheria shallon)

Here's another of my favorite wildflowers, Salal (Gaultheria shallon). There's something I find particularly attractive about these hairy little blossoms. The berries that come later are edible, as are the leaves, and these were a dietary staple for First Nations People on the Pacific Northwest Coast. Nowadays Salal is more likely to be harvested for its glossy green leaves since they are popular with florists.

4 comments:

JoJo said...

Never saw those before! Have you tasted the berries? Are they any good?

Benjamin Madison said...

Hi JoJo, I have tasted the berries - they're sweet but very mild-flavored.

Dean Lewis said...

I recall reading that 3/4 of the varieties of Canada's vegetation is to be found on the west coast.
This sure confirms it.

William Kendall said...

I haven't seen them before!