Leaf
Mathieu Menand, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Snowberry
Symphoricarpos albus
Also known as: Common snowberry, Waxberry
Family: Caprifoliaceae
1 to 2 m tall
Informal hedges, open woodland, any soil
Flowering: June – August
Full sun
Part shade
Shade
Hardy to -30°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its large pearly white berries, nicknamed 'pearls', stay on the shrub long after the leaves have fallen.
🍃 Leaves
Deciduous, small, ovate, matt green, opposite
🌸 Flowers
Tiny pink bells in clusters, inconspicuous
🍎 Fruits
Large white berries in clusters, persisting all winter, toxic
🪵 Bark
Many slender grey-brown stems, suckering habit
🗺️ Distribution
North America; widely grown in France as an ornamental and hedge shrub, sometimes naturalised.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Small pink flowers, inconspicuous but nectar-yielding, visited by bees in summer.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Planted in an informal hedge or border for its white berries persisting all winter.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
White berries toxic if eaten (saponins), causing digestive upset, notably in children who sometimes mistake them for sweets.
🌿 Other Caprifoliaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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