Salmonberry plants look like blackberry bushes, but are taller than the local variety and less aggressive than the imported Himalayan Blackberry, Rubus discolor. 

They form dense stands above head height. One main leaf flanked by two smaller ones, prominently serrated.

The berries are ripe once they're bright orange, and remain so as they darken red. Their flavor is variable, so they're good to mix with other berries, or to use in jams. 

Find them in wet, swampy areas. They appear from May to June. 

Young sprouts can be peeled and eaten, raw or steamed. 

If the berry peels easily away from the plant, that's a good indication that its ripe. 

Overall the taste of salmon berries is not very strong, perhaps even watery. 

Also known as "indian plum", you can spot osoberry in the spring by their early flowers and smooth almost-oval leaves that taste like cucumber. 

Osoberry grows in low-lying, wet, or open areas. 

Osoberry berries change colour from cream, to peach, to red, to purple. When ripe, they resemble small plums. These berries ripen relatively early, around the same time as salmon berries. 

The berries have a sweet, slightly creamy taste with a hint of cucumbers. Pits are quite large. 

• Berries are pink to red, slightly translucent, round, sour, and roughly pea-sized

• Smooth, oval leaves (slightly serrated when young)

• Bushes grow in sunny spots under otherwise dense tree cover, usually on nurse logs

• Berries contain many small seeds

• No thorns

Oregon grape, Mahonia nervosa, is a low-lying bush with prickly, holly-like leaves and dense clusters of sour berries. 

The berries become purple as they ripen, but will remain very sour. They're best used in sweetened preserves or for brewing.

Tall Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium) is another Oregon grape variety that grows in drier and more open habitats, and has fewer leaves on its branches. 

Tall Oregon grape berries ripen earlier than M. nervosa and often appear in ornamental settings on Vancouver Island.

Oregon grape lookalikes

There are no native lookalikes of oregon grapes. As long as you have a holly-like bush with purple berries, then you should have a legitimate oregon grape plant. There might be imported ornamentals that look similar, so avoid anything growing in a landscaped area or garden. 

Vancouver Island's native variety of blackberry. The trailing blackberry grows in relatively flat or low tangles, forming a thorny mat of overlapping vines. Their thorns are particularly vicious.

The berries are relatively small, but delicious when ripe. Unlike invasive varieties, they are difficult to find in very large numbers and mix well with other species. 

Also known as "black raspberry" or "blackcap".

Berries become purple and then black with age.

Bushes are long, curved branches. Have thorns, but not too aggressive. 

Occur in open, disturbed areas.

Leaves are relatively small and serated.

Berries: delicious

Salal bushes are abundant in Vancouver Island's forests, lining many of the paths and covering the forest floor. 

These bushes are usually between 2 and 5 feet in height, with stiff oval-shaped leaves. 

In the spring, salal bushes develop rows of small, white, hanging flowers on narrow pink stalks. 

Salal berries appear in mid to late summer. They are soft and juicy on the inside, with a tough, fuzzy skin. 

The taste is relatively mild, but sweet. 

An invasive species that dominates many open areas near urban development. 

Produces huge quantities of berries, although they can sometimes be lost to dryness or mold. They are excellent for jams, juices, or fermentation. Sweet and delicious. 

The plant and its thorns are quite aggressive. Bringing a small ladder, or hooking stick can be useful for getting into the thorny hedges. 

The berries need rain prior to developing for a good harvest. However, rain after the berries have grown can cause them to rot and grow mold. 

To avoid sour berries, make sure that they are black all over. Even one reddish cell can mean a sour berry overall. A good berry will pluck easily, but not disintegrate in your hand or be overrun with bugs.