Botanical Name: Symphoricarpos occidentalis
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Common Name: Western Snowberry; Wolfberry  
Plant photo of: Symphoricarpos occidentalis
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Water Saving Tip:

Replace turf with groundcovers, trees, and shrubs. If you have areas where no one uses the grass, patches that do not grow well, or a turf area too small to water without runoff, consider replacing the turf with water-efficient landscaping.

  • Anatomy

  • Culture

  • Design

Plant Type

Shrub

 

Height Range

3-6'

 

Flower Color

Pink

 

Flower Season

Spring

 

Leaf Color

Green

 

Bark Color

Grey

 

Fruit Color

White

 

Fruit Season

Summer, Fall

Sun

Full, Half

 

Water

Medium

 

Growth Rate

Moderate

 

Soil Type

Clay, Loam, Rocky

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Neutral, Basic

 

Adverse Factors

Invasive

Design Styles

Meadow, Native Garden, Woodland

 

Accenting Features

n/a

 

Seasonal Interest

Spring, Summer

 

Location Uses

Background, Shrub Border

 

Special Uses

Erosion Control, Filler, Mass Planting, Naturalizing

 

Attracts Wildlife

Birds, Hummingbirds, Wildlife

Information by: Stephanie Duer
Photographer:

  • Description

  • Notes

A small shrub to 4 feet tall and wide, though it has a suckering habit with the tendency to form colonies. Erect, arching branches. Gray-green leaves are opposite and oval shaped with coarse, round teeth. Clusters of non-showy, pink flowers are followed by white berries, which discolor to brown or black. Best used in larger landscapes or for erosion control. Attractive forage for songbirds and hummingbirds; attracts native bees.
Grow in full sun to light shade, in dry infertile gravel to well-drained sandy or clay-loam soils. It has salt and pH tolerance. Individual plants can be somewhat short-lived, but its suckering habit will make it difficult to tell.