Wildflowers of the United States

Common Snowberry, Upright Snowberry - Symphoricarpos albus

Family: Caprifoliaceae - Honeysuckle family

Genus Common Name: Snowberry

Native Status: Native

Dicot Perennial Shrub Subshrub

Symphoricarpos albus - Common Snowberry, Upright Snowberry. Symphoricarpos albus has two varieties - var. albus and var. laevigatus. Var. albus is more widely distributed, being found in most of the northern half of the United States and in the Rocky Mountains south to New Mexico, as well as most of Canada. Var. laevigatus is found in a subset of those states, plus California and Idaho. The plant is Endangered or Threatened in Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, and Massachusetts, and is Extirpated in Ohio.

The white fruits, from which the common name is derived, are larger than the blossoms; unfortunately I don't have photos of the fruit, but you can view some at Turner Photographics as well as other places on the Internet.

Found in:
AK, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, IA, ID, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SD, TN, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY

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Distribution of Symphoricarpos albus in the United States and Canada:

Map courtesy of The Biota of North America Program.
Map color key
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Site: Kleinschmidt Grade, Adams County, ID Date: 2012-May-28	Photographer: Gerald C. Williamson Nikon D7000 Tamron SP 90MM f/2.8 AF Macro
The flowers are pink with white showing up as they open their 5 lobes. The lobes are short relative to the overall length of the blossom. The inside is white and quite hairy. The leaves are oval or round, smaller on older growth than on new growth, where they can be up to about 3 inches long. The blossoms are found at the end of the stems in clusters of up to 18 flowers. Similar Symphoricarpos oreophilus - Mountain Snowberry - has flowers in pairs, and they may be in leaf axils as well as stem ends.

Site: Kleinschmidt Grade, Adams County, ID Date: 2012-May-28	Photographer: Gerald C Williamson Nikon D7000 Tamron SP 90MM f/2.8 AF Macro
The plant is a shrub that grows to about 4 or 5 feet tall and can spread vegetatively into dense thickets.
Click on the photo for a larger image

References used for identification and information:

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Symphoricarpos albus initially published on USWildflowers.com 2013-02-23; Updated 2017-03-02

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All content except USDA Plants Database map Copyright Gerald C. Williamson 2024
Photographs Copyright owned by the named photographer

Code Update 20230302