Salmonberry is a woodland thicket-forming shrub in the Rosaceae (rose) family native to the western U.S.A. and Canada. It is found in low, moist woods, stream banks and mt. slopes in moist to dry sites in sun to shade and can spread aggressively. It has high value as a food source for pollinators, mammals and songbirds and the thickets provide nesting sites and protection. It grows 3- 12 feet tall with erect to arching stems that have many prickles, especially on the ends of new growth. The bright pink flowers in the early spring to early summer are followed by an aggregate drupe that looks like yellow to red raspberries. The berries and young leaves are both edible for humans raw or cooked. Information on blackberry cultivation for home gardeners is available in the NC State Extension publication Blackberries for the Home Garden . More information on Rubus .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Arching; Erect
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Hairs present
No
Flower color
Pink
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Head
Flower shape
Cup; Tubular
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Up to 1.5 inches, magenta-pink flowers with 5 petals bloom from March to June.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Gold/Yellow; Orange; Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Aggregate; Drupe
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit detail
Yellow to orange to red fruits
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Gold/Yellow; Green; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
New growth has prickles and in winter turn golden-brown to rust-red color.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Western Canada and the U.S.A.
Distribution
AK, CA, ID, OR, WA Canada: BC
Wildlife value
Important nectar source for pollinators. Birds and small mammals eat the fruits. Deer, elk and rabits will browse the leaves and stems. Thickets provide nesting sites and protection for birds and mammals.