Description:
Symphoricarpos is a small genus of about 15 species of deciduous shrubs in the family Caprifoliaceae. All but one are natives of North America and Central America, the one remaining is from western China.
The leaves are 1.5-5 cm long, rounded, entire or with one or two basal lobes. The flowers are small, greenish-white to pink, in small clusters of 5-15 together in most species, solitary or in pairs in some (e.g. S. microphyllus). The fruit are conspicuous, 1-2 cm diameter, soft, varying from white (e.g. S. albus) to pink (S. microphyllus) to red (S. orbiculatus) and in one species (S. sinensis), blackish purple.
Common Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) is an important winter food source for quail, pheasant and grouse, but are considered poisounous to human. They contain the isoquinoline alkaloid chelidonine, as well as other alkaloids. Ingesting the berries causes mild symptoms of vomiting, dizziness, and slight sedation in children.
Common Snowberry is a popular ornamental shrub in gardens, grown for its decorative white fruit. There are two varieties, S. albus var. albus, native to eastern North America, and S. albus var. laevigatus native to the Pacific coast. The latter is a larger shrub, up to 2 m tall, and with slightly larger fruit; it is treated as a distinct species S. rivularis by some botanists.