# creeping snowberry

*Symphoricarpos mollis*

Native Americans used the saponin-rich berries as a gentle soap, and bundled the flexible, woody stems together to create brooms.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Dipsacales › Caprifoliaceae › Symphoricarpos
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Dry to moist forest understories, chaparral, and open woodlands
- **Diet:** Photosynthetic (requires sunlight, water, and soil nutrients)
- **Range:** California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Idaho
- **Size:** 30 to 60 cm tall, trailing up to 1.5 meters wide
- **Lifespan:** 10 to 30 years (clonal colonies can persist much longer)
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat loss from urban development, overgrazing, and invasive plant species competition.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless to touch and safe to observe at any distance. However, the white berries contain saponins and are mildly toxic to humans; do not ingest them. If ingested in large quantities, monitor for stomach upset and seek medical advice if vomiting or diarrhea occurs.

## About

Symphoricarpos mollis , with the common names creeping snowberry , Southern California snowberry , and trip vine , is a shrub in the Honeysuckle Family (Caprifoliaceae). It is found in western North America from British Columbia to California inland to Nevada and Idaho.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/210ac8b7-b51e-4405-9df1-1d6a9c7cf273
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/53456
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphoricarpos mollis
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/491655933/medium.jpeg (Jeffrey Lee (he/him/his), CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.