SALAL 



Gaulthe'ria shal'lon 



B83 



Flowers whito or pinkish, few to 

 many, stalked, brncted, nodding, in 

 1 -sided, glandular-hairy, axillary or 

 terminal clusters (racemes) 3 to 6 in. 

 long 



United petals (corolla) urn-shaped, }{ 

 to % in. long, 5-toothod at narrow open- 

 ing, hairy; stamens 10, enclosed within 

 corolla, with hairy stalks (filaments) 



Outer united flower parts (calyx) 

 small at first, 5-lobed, hairy, persisting, 

 enlarging and becoming fleshy as it 

 encloses the developing fruit 



Leaves alternate, evergreen, shiny 

 above, 1 to 4 in. long, egg-shaped to 

 oblong, pointed at tip, rounded or heart- 

 shaped at base, finely toothed around 

 the edges 



Stems 1 to 8 ft. high, erect or often 

 somewhat spreading, crooked 



"Berries" black or dark purple, hall- 

 shaped, somewhat flattened on top, }{ 

 to ): in. in diameter 



Salal, an attractive evergreen shrub of the heath family (Ericaceae), is a 

 very common and characteristic undershrub of the luxuriant forests of the 

 Northwest. It occurs on the Pacific slope, west of the Cascade and Sierra 

 Nevada Mountains, ranging from Alaska to central California. Salal is usually 

 one of the dominant species on the floor of the Douglas fir and Sitka spruce 

 forests, being typically associated with such plants as Oregon-grape, vine 

 maple, blueberries, and whortleberries (Vacoinium spp.), and western bracken. 

 The floor of the redwood forests in the fog belt of California is often carpeted 

 with this low undershrub. Although salal thrives best on acid soils in the 

 forested areas, where it often forms an extensive evergreen layer it also 

 occurs in openings, burns, and cut-over lands in the Douglas fir region. Under 

 average growing conditions, salal usually appears as a low, spreading shrub, 

 from 1 to 3 feet tall, but in the more favorable sites it grows luxuriantly, 



