The Buffaloberries (Shepherdia) are a genus of small shrubs which have rather bitter tasting berries, native to North America.
They are eaten primarily by bears and are presumably so popular with bears because they contain a molecule that helps to keep fat on the body which is useful for the winter season.
Buffaloberries are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including The Engrailed and Coleophora elaeagnisella.
Following fire, russet buffaloberry is found in the first stage of succession (the seedling/herb stage) which lasts from 1 to 15 years [19], and remains after the canopy closes [3].
Following a Montana wildfire, regrowth of buffaloberry was slow; 4 to 5 years were required for 25 percent of the eventual crown size to be obtained [30].
Recurrent, low-intensity ground fires are closely linked to maintaining russet buffaloberry density and vigor in stands with lodgepole pine and quaking aspen overstories, and dry upland meadows where it dominates the shrub layer [37].
The buffaloberry (Sheperdia argentea Nutt.) is native to Canada and belongs to the family Oleaster.
Buffaloberry is a large shrub or small tree which grows up to 16 feet (5 m).
Note: Large quantities of buffaloberry should not be consumed because the berries contain a substance called saponin which causes irritation of the digestive system.
The Canada Buffaloberry (Shepherdia canadensis), also known as Russet Buffaloberry, Soopolallie, Soapberry or Foamberry, is one of a small number of shrubs of the genus Shepherdia bearing edible red berries.
The plant is a deciduous shrub found in open forests and thickets all over North America.
The common name of the plant in British Columbia is soopolallie, a word deriving from the historic Chinook Jargon trading language used in the North American Pacific Northwest in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Buffaloberries are native to Canada and the western U.S. Now that the silverberry is viewed as an invasive plant, this species is recommended as a replacement.
Buffaloberry is also called Nebraska currant and rabbit berry.
Description: Canadian Buffaloberry, also known as Soopalallie (with many variations on this spelling), is one of the most critical Rocky Mountain plants to learn.
Buffaloberry are somewhat unusual in that there are both male and female plants.
The new millennium brought with it a high incidence of bear encounters throughout the eastern slopes, all because of a bumper crop of buffaloberry.
Most of these species, with the exception of sea buckthorn, are native to the prairies and, therefore, have adapted to growing in this climate.
Buffaloberry and sea buckthorn should not require nitrogen fertilizers as these plants are capable of "fixing" their own nitrogen.
Insect pests that may occur on some of the smaller berry crops such as gooseberry, buffaloberry, pin cherry and others will likely be similar to those that feed on other small fruits such as saskatoon, chokecherry and raspberry.
Buffaloberry [Shepherdia canadensis (L.) Nutt.] fruit production in fire-successional bear feeding sites by ...(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
Buffaloberry [Shepherdia canadensis (L.) Nutt.] fruits are the usual late-summer food for bears (Ursus spp.) in the Front Ranges of Banff National Park, but little is known about the effect of fire or other factors on fruit production.
of buffaloberry shrub) and environmental factors at 76 plots in Banff National Park and found a negative association with forest canopy cover.
Managers must consider the prolonged effects of fire when assessing relationships among fire, forest canopy cover, and buffaloberryfruit production.
uvalde.tamu.edu /jrm/nov96/hamer.htm (301 words)
Russet Buffaloberry(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
Birding Site #8 [ "MasonValley.htm" ](Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
The area is managed for waterfowl and has numerous dikes and extensive areas of buffaloberry.
Bird the area, then continue a short walk up to the top of the nearby dike, a good spot for accessing the south end of the cooling ponds associated with the Fort Churchill Power Station.
Return to Lux Lane and continue south 2.2 miles past the Wildlife Headquarters to the entrance to the pond areas, birding the buffaloberry along the side of the road.
The Buffaloberry Bed and Breakfast is the finest private accommodation opportunity in Banff National Park, located in the heart of the Canadian Rockies.
Enjoy the natural outdoors on your own or by services provided by a multitude of tour experts.
Dining, shopping and cultural facilities are but a short walk from the Buffaloberry.
Bonsai: Buffaloberry Bonsai - Native Shrubs are Adaptable
The plant I used was a Silver buffaloberry (Shepherdia argentea) which is native to dry prairies of Canada and the United States.
It has oval, silvery leaves, large thorns, is known to sucker freely (a real nuisance in a manicured lawn!) and survive in spite of all the vagaries of prairie weather.