Salal (Gaultheria shallon)

Native to western North America. Its dark blue berries are edible, with a unique flavor. Salal berries were a significant food resource for the native tribes.

The genus name Gaultheria is in honour of a French physician and botanist of Quebec, Jean François Gaultier (c.1708-1756); shallon derives from Kikwu-salu, the Chinook name for this plant.

On the Pacific Coast, Olympic National Park. May 2007