Salal is an evergreen shrub, tremendously abundant in our region. Step into a forest anywhere in and around Nanaimo and you’ll find lots of salal growing in the understory alongside plants like dull Oregon grape (Berberis nervosa), sword fern (Polystichum munitum) and twinflower (Linnaea borealis), among others. Like other plants, its size depends on where it grows (light and moisture conditions, etc), however, it has a characteristic look and you should have no problem distinguishing it from other plants.
Salal has many uses. Traditional First Nations uses have involved collecting the fruit for food, and using boughs of the plant as a lining and flavouring for pit cooking. Salal is also harvested in large quantities all over the Pacific Northwest and exported around the world as a long-lived and attractive filler for floral arrangements.
Salal growing as an understory plant in the forest (some twinflower – Linnaea borealis is visible growing beneath the salal. Photo credit: Douglas FraserA thicket of salal bushes, forming an almost impenetrable layer – how we often encounter the plant in our area. Photo credit: Jinx McCombs via FlickrSalal leaves are quite thick and very tough – like most evergreen leaves that need to last for a long time on the plant. Note the veins on the surface and the very finely toothed leaf margin. When seen from a distance, the toothed margin is not obvious, but close inspection reveals this characteristic. Photo credit: Douglas FraserSalal leaves are spirally arranged around the stem. Note the characteristic hairs on the stem. Photo credit: Douglas FraserSalal flowers from spring into summer. The urn-shaped flowers, characteristic for the Ericaceae family, hang down in a row from a hairy flower stem. Both the twigs and the flower stem of this particular specimen are bright red. The degree of red pigmentation is associated with how sunny the location Photo credit: Marshall Drummond via FlickrClose-up of the urn-shaped salal flowers. Note the characteristic hairs. Remember to compare these flowers to those of arbutus (Arbutus menziesii) and kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) – other members of the Ericaceae family with very similar flowers. Photo credit: Douglas FraserImmature fruits of salal. The pointy structure at the tip of each berry is the remains of the female reproductive organ. Photo credit: Douglas FraserThe ripe, dark purple, juicy and tasty fruits of salal. You can see the remains of the female reproductive organ sticking out from the front of the immature berries on the left. The dark purple colour is due to the presence of anthocyanin pigments, the same pigments that give red and black grapes their colour. Anthocyanins have antioxidant properties and are a healthful component of the human diet. Photo credit: James Gaither via Flickr
