salal
Gaultheria shallon
The edible portions commonly called salal berries are not true botanical berries, but rather swollen, fleshy sepals that have grown around the seed capsule.
- Scientific name
- Gaultheria shallon
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Ericales › Ericaceae › Gaultheria
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Understory of coastal temperate rainforests, forest edges, coastal bluffs, and rocky slopes.
- Diet
- Photoautotroph
- Range
- Canada (British Columbia), United States (Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California)
- Size
- 0.2–5 m tall, with leaves 5–10 cm long
- Lifespan
- Decades (clonal colonies persist indefinitely)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Intensive commercial harvesting for the floral greenery trade, clear-cut logging, and localized urban expansion.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. Salal presents no chemical, allergen, or physical hazards to humans. The ripe dark berries are edible and have a long history of human consumption, though proper plant identification is essential before ingesting any wild fruit.
Gaultheria shallon is a leathery-leaved shrub in the heather family (Ericaceae), native to western North America. In English, it is known as salal , shallon , or simply gaultheria in Britain.
Photo: Gavin Slater, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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