Up close with Canada Buffaloberry

This whole tip of a Canada Buffaloberry (Shepherdia canadensis) branch was probably no more than an inch in length, and the flowers are very tiny. Quite an interesting plant when you see it up close in macro size. Taken at Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Park, on 6 May 2013. This plant is native all over North America. When seen in a larger size, you can really see the rather attractive, flower-shaped, scale-like appressed hairs that cover buds, stems, and leaves. Wonderful texture.

"Canadian Buffaloberry, also known as Soopalallie (with many variations on this spelling), is one of the most critical Rocky Mountain plants to learn. Look for a woody shrub, up to 1.5 m (5 ft) in height with dark green, oval leaves. The leaves are approximately 2-6 cm (.75-3.5 in) long, and are dark green above and fuzzy below. They are arranged in an opposite manner. Buffaloberry are somewhat unusual in that there are both male and female plants. The flowers are inconspicuous, looking like small yellow growths that emerge below the new leaves. In late-July or early-August, the berries begin to ripen. Only the female plants will bear fruit. They are round, approximately 4-6 mm (.25 in) in diametre, and vary from bright red to orange (occasionally yellow) They are also somewhat translucent. Buffaloberry can be found throughout the Rockies, but tend to be more common along the eastern slopes.

If you learn to identify only one plant in the Canadian Rockies, make it this one. Once the berries ripen, this becomes the most important plant for bears within the northern Rockies. Any trail with an abundance of buffaloberries will also have bears. Try to avoid heavily berried trails in August and September, or at the very least make a lot of noise while hiking in such locales. Remember, an adult grizzly may eat upwards of 200,000 buffaloberries every day during this period. They may also get so engrossed in feeding that they do not hear you approach. Make sure you make lots of noise." From MountainNature.com.

www.mountainnature.com/Plants/PlantsLatinNameResult.asp?I...

"Fruits are extensively collected by some Canadian First Nations peoples such as Nlaka'pamux (Thompson), St'at'imc (Lillooet) and Secwepemc (Shuswap) in the province of British Columbia. The bitter berries are not eaten directly but rather processed as sxusem ("sxushem", also xoosum/"hooshum") or "Indian ice-cream". Branches bearing fruit are hit with a stick and only the very ripe fruits that fall off are collected. A clean mat or tarpaulin is placed below the bush for collection. The berries are later placed into a great bowl that is absolutely free of oil or fat and are mixed with some sweet fruit such as raspberries. The mixture of berries is crushed and vigorously beaten in the manner of whipping cream in order to raise the typical foam of the confection." From Wikipedia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepherdia_canadensis