Shepherdia
| Shepherdia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Shepherdia argentea, western Nevada | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Elaeagnaceae |
| Genus: | Shepherdia Nutt. |
| Species | |
|
See text | |
Shepherdia, commonly called buffaloberry[1] or bullberry, is a genus of small shrubs in the Elaeagnaceae family. The plants are native to northern and western North America.[2] They are non-legume nitrogen fixers.
Species
The genus has three species:
- Shepherdia argentea — silver buffaloberry[3]
- Shepherdia canadensis — Canada buffaloberry
- Shepherdia rotundifolia — roundleaf buffaloberry, endemic to southern Utah and northern Arizona
Fruit
The berry is recognizable by being a dark shade of red, with little white dots on them. They are rough to the touch, and are found on both trees and shrubs.
Wildlife
The plants have rather bitter-tasting berries. The fruit are often eaten by bears, which by legend, prefer the berries to maintain fat stores during hibernation.[4]
Buffaloberries are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including the engrailed moth (recorded from S. canadensis) and Coleophora elaeagnisella.
Culinary
Buffaloberries are edible by humans. They are quite sour, and afterwards leave the mouth a little dry. A touch of frost sweetens the berries. They can be made into jelly, jam, or syrup, soups, or prepared like cranberry sauce from berries.[4]
References
- ↑ "Shepherdia". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
- ↑ "Shepherdia Nutt.". USDA PLANTS .
- ↑ "Silver buffaloberry" (PDF).
- 1 2 Elias, Professor, Thomas S. (1983). Edible Wild Plants A North American Field Guide (Digitized online by Google books). Peter A. Dykeman. Cengage Learning. pp. 9–28, 258. ISBN 0-442-22254-8. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shepherdia. |