#46. Salal

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Scientific Name:

Gaultheria shallon

Common Local Salals:

Gaultheria ovatifolia --Slender Wintergreen (Several inches tall, it is found in coniferous woods of the Cascades.)

Family Name:

Heath Family

Habitat:

Coniferous forest clearings.

Characteristics:

1. Salal is a creeping to erect shrub up to 10 feet tall.

2. The leaves are evergreen, leathery, thick and shiny above. They alternate on the stems and are oval in shape.

3. The flowers are small, pink and bell-shaped. 5 to 15 flowers hang from the tips of the branches in spring.

Uses or Importances:

1. The reddish-blue to blackish berries may be eaten raw, in jams, or cooked.

2. Historically, the leaves were eaten raw to supress hunger, heartburn, or diarrhea.

3. Salal makes a fine shady garden plant with its evergreen leaves, pink flowers, and dark berries.