''Symphoricarpos occidentalis'', commonly called western snowberry or wolfberry, is a woody species of flowering plant in the

honeysuckle family The Caprifoliaceae or honeysuckle family is a clade of dicotyledonous flowering plants consisting of about 860 species, in 33, to 42 genera, with a nearly cosmopolitan distribution. Centres of diversity are found in eastern North America an ...

. Wolfberry is not to be confused with ''

Lycium chinense ''Lycium chinense'' is one of two species of boxthorn shrub in the family Solanaceae. Along with ''Lycium barbarum'', it produces the goji berry ("wolfberry"). Two varieties are recognized, ''L. chinense'' var. ''chinense'' and ''L. chinense'' ...

'' and '' L. barbarum'' (

goji Goji, goji berry, or wolfberry () is the fruit of either ''Lycium barbarum'' or ''Lycium chinense'', two closely related species of boxthorn in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. ''L. barbarum'' and ''L. chinense'' fruits are simila ...

), which are also known as wolfberry.

Description

''Symphoricarpos occidentalis'' is a creeping shrub, with pink, rounded to bell-shaped flowers and spherical or bulbous shaped, white or pink-tinted fruits.

Distribution

''Symphoricarpos occidentalis'' is native across much of Canada plus the northern and central United States as far south as

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

, northeastern

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

, and the

Texas Panhandle The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a square-shaped area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east. It is adjacent to ...

Cultivation

Western snowberry is grown for use in

native plant In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often popularised as "with no human intervention") during history. The term is equ ...

and

wildlife garden A wildlife garden (or wild garden) is an environment created by a gardener that serves as a sustainable haven for surrounding wildlife. Wildlife gardens contain a variety of habitats that cater to native and local plants, birds, amphibians, rep ...

s, and as a bird food plant in

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

landscapes. It is considered to be a weed in certain situations.

References

External links

photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Missouri in 1994
occidentalis Flora of the United States Flora of Canada Bird food plants Plants described in 1833 Garden plants of North America Drought-tolerant plants {{Dipsacales-stub