# salal (*Gaultheria shallon*) Salal is a lovely green shrub that grows in forests. It has shiny leaves and produces sweet, purple berries that many animals enjoy eating. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 18 - **Habitat:** Forests ![salal](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Gaultheria_shallon_6206.JPG&width=800) Photo: Walter Siegmund (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gaultheria_shallon_6206.JPG) ## Appearance The salal has tough, leathery, evergreen leaves that are shiny and dark green, often with reddish stems. Its small, bell-shaped flowers are white to pinkish, hanging in clusters, followed by dark purple-black, round berries. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Ericales - **Family:** Ericaceae - **Genus:** Gaultheria ## Interesting facts - Indigenous peoples dried salal berries into cakes for winter! - Its berries were once crushed to make purple dye for baskets. - Salal leaves stay green all year, even through cold winters! - The scientific name "shallon" comes from a native American word for the plant. ## Special abilities - **Shade Master:** Salal can grow in deep shade or sunny spots, thanks to its adaptable leaves and roots. - **Soil Protector:** Salal has a dense network of roots that cling to the soil, helping to prevent erosion on slopes. - **Wild Feast Provider:** Salal produces abundant, edible berries that are a vital food source for many forest animals. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 20-500 cm - **Spread:** 50-300 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.5-1 cm - **Bloom Season:** Spring to early summer - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Eats:** [Black Bear](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-bear) (*Ursus americanus*) — Feasts on juicy salal berries - **Eats:** [Steller's Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/stellers-jay) (*Cyanocitta stelleri*) — Eats the dark purple salal berries - **Eats:** [Mule Deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/mule-deer) (*Odocoileus hemionus*) — Browses on salal leaves, especially in winter - **Pollinates:** Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Collects nectar from salal's bell-shaped flowers ## Traits - [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight. - [Shrub](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shrub): A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree, typically with multiple stems branching from or near the ground. - [Evergreen](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/evergreen): Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once. - [Fruit Bearing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-bearing): Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds. - [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always ask an adult before picking or eating berries. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify salal? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is salal? 20-500 cm ### How wide does salal spread? 50-300 cm ### How big are the flowers on salal? 0.5-1 cm ### When does salal bloom? Spring to early summer ### Is salal edible? Yes ### Is salal toxic? None ### What is salal's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Marymoor Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/marymoor-park) — Washington, US · Nature Reserve - [Santiam State Forest](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/santiam-state-forest) — Oregon, US · Forest - [Englishman River Falls Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/englishman-river-falls-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park - [Ross Lake National Recreation Area](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/ross-lake-national-recreation-area) — Washington, US · National Park - [Arena Cove Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/arena-cove-historic-district) — California, US · Historic District - [Audubon Canyon](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/audubon-canyon) — California, US · Nature Reserve [View all places to see salal](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/salal) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Salal: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/salal)