Washington Native Plant Society: Starflower Image Herbarium

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Rubus spectabilis

Salmonberry

At a Glance: Erect and branching shrub with early spring pink flowers and reddish-orange raspberry-like fruits.

Height: Up to 13 feet (4 meters).
Growth Form: Shrub.
Stems: Often forming dense thickets, zig-zag twigs without hairs, with scattered prickles; bark golden brown and shredding; stems prickly on new growth.
Leaves: Alternate, usually with 3 distinct leaflets consisting of 2 smaller lateral leaflets and one larger terminal leaflet; sharply toothed; color: dark green.
Flowers: 1-2 or even 4 on short branches; primary color: pink to red to reddish-purple (magenta); size: 2-4 cm; shape: circular, 5 petaled.
Flowering Period: March, April, May, June.
Fruits: Mushy orange-red raspberry-like fruits.


Photo © 2004, Starflower Foundation

Sun/Shade Tolerance	Hydrology	Elevation Range
full sun > 80% mostly sunny 60%-80% partial sun and shade 40%- 60% mostly shady 60%-80% full shade > 80%	wet moist dry Wetland Indicator Status:	low elevation mid elevation sub-alpine high elevation

Soil Preferences
(data not available)

Habitat Preferences
Aquatic and Wetland: Ponds or lakes Shallow pools Sloughs Swales or wet ditches Seasonally inundated areas Marshes or swamps Aquatic bed wetlands Emergent wetlands Scrub-shrub wetlands Forested wetlands Bogs, fens Seeps, springs Shorelines and Riparian: Lake shores Bog margins Streams or rivers Stream or river banks Riparian corridors River bars Floodplains Bottomlands Alluvial areas	Saltwater Areas: In or near saltwater Mud flats Tidal areas Estuaries Saltmarshes Brackish water Seashores Coastal dunes or beaches Rocky or Gravelly Areas: Coastal bluffs Cliffs Rocky slopes Outcrops Crevices Glacial outwash Gullies Slide areas Sub-alpine and Alpine: Heaths Snow beds Tundra Avalanche tracks	Forests and Thickets: Forests and woods Open forests Coniferous forests Old growth forests Deciduous forests Mixed forests Nurse logs Forest edges, openings, or clearings Thickets Meadows and Fields: Pastures or fields Meadows or grassy areas Mossy areas Disturbed Areas: Roadsides Trailsides Logged sites Burned areas Disturbed sites

Wildlife Value
Berries Seeds Nectar for hummingbirds Nectar for butterflies Host for insect larvae Thickets and shelter Thorny or protective cover	Birds: Fruits eaten by grouse, pheasants, robins, orioles, thrushes, tanagers, finches, wrens, bushtits, quail, and towhees. One of the first blooming plants visited by hummingbirds. Thickety structure great for birds. Insects: Food for bumblebees. Mammals: Fruit eaten by raccoons, chipmunks, and squirrels Other Wildlife: Browsed by rabbits and deer.

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

Material Uses: The Kwakwakawakw and Haida used the woody shoots as spears in games. They were sometimes used as arrow shafts too. The Haida held down cedar bark roofing with crosswise salmonberry sticks. The Squamish used short hollowed pieces as joints and connectors between harpoon heads and gaffs, and their shafts. The hollowed stems could also be plugs or pipes. The leaves under food would help it dry.
Medicinal Uses: Bark and leaves have an astringent quality. The Quileute chew them and put it on burns. They also boil the bark in sea water and drink it to lessen labor pains, and clean infected wounds and burns. The Makah pound the bark and put it on tooth aches or festering wounds as a pain killer.
Food Uses: Sprouts and berries eaten by all northwest coast peoples, the sprouts as an early spring green vegetable. The berries were often eaten with salmon.
Landscape Uses: Quickly spreading shrub, good in a large garden.

Suggested References

Alden, P., D. Paulson. 1998. National Audubon Society, Field Guide to the Pacific Northwest. Chanticleer Press. Page 125.
Cooke, S.S. A Field Guide to the Common Wetland Plants of Western Washington and Northwetern Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society and Washington Native Plant Society. Page 49.
Guard, B.J. 1995. Wetland Plants of Oregon & Washington. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 212.
Gunther, E. 1973. 2nd ed. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press. Page 35.
Hickman, J.C., ed. 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press. Page 975.
Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist. 1973. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 224.
Jacobson A.L. 2001. Wild Plants of Greater Seattle. Published by author. Page 136.
Kruckeberg, A.R. 1996. 2nd ed. Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 125.
Link, R. 1999. Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 261.
Lyons, C., W. Merilees. Trees and Shrubs to Know in Washington and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 151.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 76.
Turner, N.AJ. 1975. Food Plants of British Columbia Indians: part 1, Coastal Peoples. British Columbia Provincial Museum. Page 191.

The landscaping and restoration information provided on this page is taken from Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.