Salmonberry: Agressivly spreading shrub w/edible berries

• Common Name: Salmonberry
• Binomial Name: Rubus spectabilis
• Soil Type: moist to rather wet
• Sunlight: Full sun to full shade
• Plant Type: rhizomatous shrub
• Foliage: Deciduous and evergreen
• Flowering: Yes

Salmonberry can be a very aggressively spreading shrub which reach up to ten feet high, under dry conditions the growth can be suppressed though. They can be found along streams, wetlands, and in forests from Alaska to California and as far east as the cascades.

The Salmonberry has small white flowers before berries are formed. They are small, orange to red in color and look like a raspberry. Humans can consume Salmonberry, but some people dislike them because they differ in taste from one to another. Birds and other wildlife love salmonberry because they are one of the first shrubs to produce berries and ripen.

This story has been brought to you by the City of Beaverton’s Landscape and Urban Forestry Department.