Shepherdia argentea
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| Silver Buffaloberry | ||||||||||||||
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 Shepherdia argentia, Saskatchewan
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| Shepherdia argentea (Pursh) Nutt. |
Shepherdia argentea (Silver Buffaloberry or Bull berry, thorny buffaloberry) is a species of Shepherdia, native to central North America from southern Canada (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba) south in the United States to northern California and New Mexico.[1]
It is a deciduous shrub growing to 2-6 m tall. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs (rarely alternately arranged), 2-6 cm long, oval with a rounded apex, green with a covering of fine silvery, silky hairs, more densely silvery below than above. The flowers are pale yellow, with four sepals and no petals. The fruit is a bright red fleshy drupe 5 mm in diameter; it is edible but with a rather bitter taste.[2]
The berry is one of the mainstays of the diet of the Sharp-tailed Grouse, the provincial bird of Saskatchewan.
The plant contains a low concentration of tetrahydroharmol, which acts as a psychedelic drug in high enough doses.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Germplasm Resources Information Network: Shepherdia argentea
- ^ Jepson Flora: Shepherdia argentea
- ^ U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA & Michael Knudson, Silver Buffaloberry, <http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/doc/pg_shar.doc>. Retrieved on 6 September 2007
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