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Soapberry, Shepherdia canadensis (L.) Nutt.
Elaeagnaceae

A much-branched spreading shrub up to 1.5 m high.

Twigs: Rusty brown, densely covered with small brown scales. Older branches are grayish-brown and smooth.

Buds: Scurfy, with two scales.

Leaves: Opposite, elliptic or oval, rounded tip, 1.5-5 cm long. Dull, dark green and usually hairy above silvery and scurfy with rusty scales beneath. Margins are entire or slightly irregular.

Flowers: Small (3-4 mm across) and yellowish, clustered in the leaf axils, appearing as the leaves unfold. Male and female flowers are on separate plants. Male flowers have four sepals and eight stamens; female flowers have four sepals and a pistil. Blooms from mid-May to mid-June.

Fruit: Oval, translucent, yellowish-red drupes, 6 mm in diameter, covered with scattered scales, and edible. Ripen by mid-July.

Habitat: Edge of woods, along shores of rivers, base of cliffs, rocky slopes, exposed barrens and headlands. Found on the west coast, Northern Peninsula, parts of the northeast coast.

Note: Name comes from the frothy mass formed when the fruit is beaten with sugar.

Source: Native Trees and Shrubs of Newfoundland and Labrador
By A. Glen Ryan
Parks and Natural Areas Division
Department of Environment and Conservation
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador 1995
Used with permission.