Salal berries

Description:

dark, nearly black berries; leathery dark green leaves, wiry shrub

Habitat:

coastal hills

Notes:

These berries are a little insipid in flavor, but don't mold readily so are good for making pemmican, also for jam. The leaves are great for floral arrangements because they are so long-lasting. The shrubs are hard to wade through. How ironic that these, when introduced to the heaths in Europe, become problematic, while the Scotch broom introduced the other direction is problematic in the same kind of environment in the West.