Description
A deciduous, shrub growing from 3 to 13 feet. The leaves are dark green on the upper surface with white silvery hairs and rusty brown spots on the undersurface. The small yellow male and female flowers grow on separate shrubs and blooms in April. The red or yellowish fruits are fleshy and edible but almost tasteless or bitter ripening in July and August. The berries are desired by grouse, black bears, grizzly bears, and rabbits. It prefers partial shade, moist to wet soil and is generally found on rocky, sandy, or gravelly soils. It is able to survive on nutrient poor soils because of its nitrogen fixing ability. Native to the Northern States and west of the Rocky Mountains.