Symphoricarpos hesperius var. hesperius G.N. Jones
trailing snowberry (creeping snowberry)
Caprifoliaceae (Valerian family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Jamie Fenneman     (Photo ID #7530)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Symphoricarpos hesperius
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend

Species Information

General:
Deciduous, trailing shrub; stems reclining, 1-3 m long, often rooting at the nodes, forming small tubers, and producing erect branches to 60 cm high; twigs slightly short-hairy.
Leaves:
Opposite, on stalks 1-3 mm long, egg-shaped to elliptic, 1-3 cm long, 0.5-2 cm wide, entire or sometimes with a few coarse teeth or shallow lobes; leaves on vigorous shoots often larger and more frequently toothed or lobed, slightly hairy at least beneath.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a short terminal cluster of a few flowers, sometimes also a few flowers in the upper leaf axils; corollas widely and often asymmetrically bell-shaped, pale pink, 3-5 mm long, tubular at the bases, flaring to 5 lobes almost as long as the tubes; tubes with collars of short hairs around the top inside; styles 2-3 mm long, glabrous, about as long as the tubes; stamens as long as corolla lobes, the anthers 1 mm long, a little shorter than the filaments.
Fruits:
Berrylike drupes, clustered, white, nearly globose, 5-6 mm long; nutlets 2, each enclosing a single seed.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Symphoricarpos hesperius

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Avg

Min

Max

Elevation (metres)
196 10 800
Slope Gradient (%)
16 0 90

Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]

178 20 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
2 0 5
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
C
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
182
Modal BEC Zone Class
CWH

All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in

CDF(65), CWH(116), IDF(1)

Habitat and Range

Mesic to dry forests in the lowland zone; locally common on SE Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and the lower Fraser Valley; S to N ID and CA.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Symphoricarpos mollis Nutt.
Symphoricarpos mollis subsp. hesperius (G.N. Jones) Abrams ex Ferris
Symphoricarpos mollis var. hesperius (G.N. Jones) Cronquist