silver buffaloberry
Shepherdia argentea
The berries contain natural saponins, which can be whipped with water and sugar to create a foaming, frothy treat historically used by Indigenous peoples.
- Scientific name
- Shepherdia argentea
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Rosales › Elaeagnaceae › Shepherdia
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Riparian zones, stream banks, moist hillsides, and prairie ravines.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthesis, nitrogen-fixing via actinorhizal symbiosis)
- Range
- Great Plains of North America, Rocky Mountains, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Montana, North Dakota
- Size
- Deciduous shrub growing 2 to 6 meters (6 to 20 feet) tall.
- Lifespan
- 20-50 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss due to agricultural expansion, invasive species, and overgrazing.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless, but watch for sharp, spine-tipped branches. Safe to approach. If harvesting the edible, tart red berries, wear thick gardening gloves to avoid painful punctures; wash any scratches with soap and water.
Shepherdia argentea , commonly called silver buffaloberry , bull berry , or thorny buffaloberry , is a species of Shepherdia in the Russian olive family.
Photo: Mary Krieger, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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