Salmonberry

When you walk the forest trails this time of year in western Oregon, there are dozens of native flowering plants along the way. If your trek takes you near a creek or or drainage area, you'll probably see a good deal of Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis). It's blooming right now in most lowland areas (4/10/2014) and will bear fruit that ripens in May and June.

Most Oregonians who take to the trails are already familiar with many of the Rubus genus, which includes Thimbleberry, Black Raspberry, and Himalayan Blackberry among others. Who hasn't stopped along the way to chow down on the ripe berries of summer?! 

Salmonberry have a long history of use by our native peoples in the Northwest. Both the young shoots and the berries were used extensively; the berries are some of the first to ripen, making them a good choice for early harvesting. They are typically too watery to dry, but were often mixed with nuts or salmon oil and/or salmon, hence the common name. To this day, the practice continues. 

Some describe the berry taste as insipid, but like most berries it really depends on when they are picked and how ripe they are. There are numerous recipes on the Internet for incorporating the berries. I remember having some tasty, expensive, Salmonberry jam not too long after we moved here!

The blossoms have a unique pinkish-purple color, and open slowly, almost like a butterfly coming out of a cocoon. We spotted these along one of the trails at Hoyt Arboretum in Portland recently. I'll update this page to add the berries in June or so...

Related Links:

Salmonberry Cusine

Salmonberry Wikipedia