Ílhtelstexw Te Shxwelí

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Sxwósem

(plant)

Soapberry

Shepherdia canadensis

Origins
INDIGENOUS
INTRODUCED
Niche/Zone
1
2
3
4

Ecology

Grows at Lowlands to middle elevations.

Commonly found in: Dry to moist open woods and thickets, gravelly river terraces.

Uses

Food
  • Berries are soapy to touch.
  • Berries are widely used to make "Indian ice cream." Berries were mixed with water and whipped until frothy (traditionally with a bundle of inner cedar bark or a salal branch). Berries are extremely bitter and were sweetened with salal berries, camas bulbs, or hemlock cambium (today sugar is used).
Alder, Red • Avens, Large Leaved • Blackberry, Wild Trailing • Blackcap • Bleeding Heart, Pacific • Burdock • Cascara • Cattail Rush • Cedar, Western Red • Cherry, Wild Bitter • Coltsfoot • Cottonwood • Currant, Red Flowering • Devil’s Club • Dogbane, Spreading • Dogwood, Red-Osier • Elderberry, Red • Fern, Licorice • Fern, Parsley (aka American Rockbrake) • Fern, Sword • Fir, Douglas • Ginger, Wild Western • Hazelnut, Beaked • Heal-all, Self-heal • Hellebore, False Green / Indian • Hemlock, Western • Honeysuckle, Wild / Orange • Horsetail, Common • Horsetail, Giant • Huckleberry, Evergreen • Huckleberry, Oval-leaved / Black • Huckleberry, Red • Juniper • Kinnikinnik / Bearberry (aka Indian tobacco) • Labrador Tea / Swamp Tea • Lily, Chocolate • Lily, Tiger • Maple, Broadleaf / Bigleaf • Maple, Vine • Mock Orange • Mountain Ash, Sitka • Mushroom, Pine • Nettle, Stinging (aka Indian spinach) • Oceanspray (aka Ironwood) • Onion, Nodding • Oregon Grape, Dull / Short • Osoberry / June Plum / Indian Plum • Pacific Ninebark • Plantain, Common / Broad Leaf • Plantain, Ribber / Sword • Primrose, Evening (aka Evening Star, or King’s Cure-All) • Rose, Nootka / Wild • Salal • Salmonberry • Saskatoon Berry • Siberian Miner’s Lettuce / Springbeauty • Skunk Cabbage • Spiraea / Western Hardhack • Spruce, Sitka • St. John’s Wort, Common • Strawberry, Wild • Thimbleberry • Trillium • Usnea (aka Old Man’s Beard) • Vanilla Leaf • Willow, Sitka • Yarrow • Yellow Pond-Lily / Spatterdock • Yew, Pacific / Western

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Alder, Red • Avens, Large Leaved • Blackberry, Himalayan • Blackberry, Wild Trailing • Blackcap • Bleeding Heart, Pacific • Burdock • Cascara • Cattail Rush • Cedar, Western Red • Cherry, Wild Bitter • Clover, Red • Clover, White • Cottonwood • Currant, Red Flowering • Dandelion • Devil’s Club • Dock, Bitter / Round-Leaved • Dock, Yellow / Curly (aka Wild rhubarb) • Dogbane, Spreading • Dogwood, Red-Osier • Elderberry, Red • Fern, Licorice • Fern, Parsley (aka American Rockbrake) • Fern, Sword • Fir, Douglas • Ginger, Wild Western • Hawthorn, Black • Hazelnut, Beaked • Heal-all, Self-heal • Hellebore, False Green / Indian • Hemlock, Western • Honeysuckle, Wild / Orange • Horsetail, Common • Horsetail, Giant • Huckleberry, Red • Juniper • Kinnikinnik / Bearberry (aka Indian tobacco) • Labrador Tea / Swamp Tea • Lily, Chocolate • Lily, Tiger • Maple, Broadleaf / Bigleaf • Maple, Vine • Mock Orange • Nettle, Stinging (aka Indian spinach) • Oceanspray (aka Ironwood) • Onion, Nodding • Oregon Grape, Dull / Short • Osoberry / June Plum / Indian Plum • Pacific Ninebark • Plantain, Common / Broad Leaf • Plantain, Ribber / Sword • Primrose, Evening (aka Evening Star, or King’s Cure-All) • Rose, Nootka / Wild • Salal • Salmonberry • Saskatoon Berry • Sheep Sorrel / Sour Weed • Siberian Miner’s Lettuce / Springbeauty • Skunk Cabbage • Spiraea / Western Hardhack • Spruce, Sitka • St. John’s Wort, Common • Strawberry, Wild • Tansy • Thimbleberry • Trillium • Vanilla Leaf • Watercress • Willow, Sitka • Yarrow • Yellow Pond-Lily / Spatterdock

Prefer a formatted list? View all in Zone 2