Buffaloberry
Encyclopedia
Shepherdia are a genus of small shrubs which have rather bitter tasting berries, native to northern and western North America
. They are non-legume Nitrogen fixers. The genus has three species:
The fruit are often eaten by bear
s, which by legend, prefer the berries to maintain fat stores during hibernation
.Buffaloberries are used as food plants by the larva
e of some Lepidoptera
species including The Engrailed
(recorded from S. canadensis) and Coleophora elaeagnisella
.
Buffaloberries are edible for humans. They are quite sour, and afterwards leave the mouth a little dry. A touch of frost will sweeten the berries. The berries can be made into jelly, jam, or syrup, or prepared like cranberry sauce from the forefrost berries. The berry is recognizable by being a dark shade of red, with little white dots on them. They are rough to the touch, and found on both trees and shrubs.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. They are non-legume Nitrogen fixers. The genus has three species:
- Shepherdia argenteaShepherdia argenteaShepherdia argentea is a species of Shepherdia, native to central North America from southern Canada south in the United States to northern California and New Mexico.It is a deciduous shrub growing to 2–6 m tall...
- Silver buffaloberry - Shepherdia canadensis - Canada buffaloberry
- Shepherdia rotundifolia - Round-leaf buffaloberry
The fruit are often eaten by bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
s, which by legend, prefer the berries to maintain fat stores during hibernation
Hibernation
Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food supplies are limited, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
.Buffaloberries are used as food plants by the larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species including The Engrailed
Engrailed
The Engrailed and Small Engrailed are moths of the family Geometridae. They are distributed across most of Europe. There is an on-going debate as to whether they make up one species, or whether E. crepuscularia actually refers only to the Small Engrailed, with the Engrailed proper being separable...
(recorded from S. canadensis) and Coleophora elaeagnisella
Coleophora
Coleophora is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae. It contains some 1,350 described species. The genus is represented on all continents, but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions...
.
Buffaloberries are edible for humans. They are quite sour, and afterwards leave the mouth a little dry. A touch of frost will sweeten the berries. The berries can be made into jelly, jam, or syrup, or prepared like cranberry sauce from the forefrost berries. The berry is recognizable by being a dark shade of red, with little white dots on them. They are rough to the touch, and found on both trees and shrubs.