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Gaultheria shallon

Salal

At a Glance: Creeping to erect shrub with hairy branching stems and dark leathery leaves.

Height: Up to 16 feet (5 meters) in exceptional cases but typically 3-7 feet (1-2 m) tall.
Growth Form: Shrub.
Stems: Hairy, branched.
Leaves: Alternate, evergreen, leathery, shiny dark green, sharply and finely toothed, egg shaped, 5-10 cm (2-4 in) long; color: dark leathery green.
Flowers: Occur in racemes of 5-15 urn-shaped flowers, all oriented in same direction; primary color: white-pinkish; size: 7-10 mm long.
Flowering Period: May, June.
Fruits: The "berries" are actually the fleshy sepals, edible, the true fruit is a capsule surrounded by the fleshy calyx; shape: round; size: 6-10 mm broad; color: reddish-blue to dark purple.


Photo © Starflower Foundation

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

Soil Preferences
sandy soils gravelly soils clay soils muddy soils peaty soils	well drained soils shallow soils deep soils acidic soils basic soils	humic soils nutrient rich soils nutrient poor soils mineral soils organic soils

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: Grouse, band-tailed pigeons, towhees, and other ground-feeding birds. Insects: Brown elfin butterfly larvae eat the twigs. Mammals: Bear, foxes, coyotes, and other smaller mammals eat the berries. Deer and elk eat the twigs.

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

Material Uses: Haida used the berries to thicken salmon eggs. Leafy branches used in pit cooking and as flavoring for fish by the Saanich and other Vancouver Island Salish groups. The Nuu-chah-nulth made a purple stain from the berries. Leaves can be rolled into a cone to form a makeshift cup.
Medicinal Uses: Young leaves chewed by the Ditidaht to suppress hunger. The leaves were chewed and spit onto burns by the Klallam.
Food Uses: Berries eaten fresh and dried by most Northwest Coast peoples. Kwakwakawakw ate the berries ripe and dipped in oolichan grease at feasts. Berries were mixed with others in cakes and traded Berries have been made into jam and preserves.
Landscape Uses: Used as garden ornamental in Britain. Spreads easily once established.
Name Info: "Salal" is the native peoples name for the species.
Interesting Facts: Long lasting leaves are used by florists. Raised commercially by some growers.

Suggested References

Alden, P., D. Paulson. 1998. National Audubon Society, Field Guide to the Pacific Northwest. Chanticleer Press. Page 113.
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 25.
Gunther, E. 1973. 2nd ed. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press. Page 43.
Hickman, J.C., ed. 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press. Page 560.
Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist. 1973. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 343.
Jacobson A.L. 2001. Wild Plants of Greater Seattle. Published by author. Page 124.
Link, R. 1999. Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 268.
Lyons, C., W. Merilees. Trees and Shrubs to Know in Washington and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 150.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 53.
Turner, N.AJ. 1975. Food Plants of British Columbia Indians: part 1, Coastal Peoples. British Columbia Provincial Museum. Page 212.

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