Symphoricarpos rotundifolius

Springer et al 2008, Heil et al. 2013, Allred and Ivey 2012

Common Name: roundleaf snowberry Duration: Perennial Nativity: Native Lifeform: Shrub General: Deciduous shrub, up to 1 m tall; stems erect to straggling. Leaves: Opposite along the twigs, on short petioles 1-3 mm long; blades somewhat circular to broadly ovate, 1-3 cm long, the surfaces softly pubescent, paler below, margins entire or nearly so. Flowers: Pink or white, paired or in small clusters in the leaf axils; calyx up to 1 mm long, with 5 triangular lobes; corolla pink or white, funnel-shaped, 8-10 mm long, 5-lobed, the lobes much shorter than the tube, pubescent on the inner surface. Fruits: White drupe (single seeded cherry-like fruit), ovate or ellipsoid, 1 cm long. Ecology: Found on dry, rocky slopes from 4,000-10,000 ft (1219-3048 m); flowers May-August. Distribution: Western N. Amer from CAN to n MEX. Ethnobotany: Ramah Navajo used the leaves as a ceremonial emetic. Etymology: Symphoricarpos is from the Greek symphorein, to bear together, and karpos, fruits, referring to the clusters of white berries; rotundifolius means round-leaved. Editor: AHazelton 2017