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Salal

Quinault - kwa´soitcnu´l
Quileute - ko'o´.d

Family:  Heath (Ericaceae)   
Genus:  Gaultheria   
Species:  shallon

Botanical Description:  Creeping to standing shrub, branched, hairy stems, height to 4 m.  Evergreen leaves alternate, finely & sharply toothed, thick, shiny, oval, 5-10 cm long.  Pinkish-whitish flowers urn-shaped, 5-15 at end of branch, 7-10 mm long.  The fruit-like sepals, berries, dark-purple to reddish blue, edible, 6-10 mm broad.  Prefers low to medium elevations, coniferous forest, rocky bluffs to seashore.

 Ethnographic Information: For NW Coastal people it was a plentiful, important source of fruit. Fruit was mashed & dried into cakes, eaten fresh or dipped in grease. Berries were used for trading, selling, as a sweetener & thickener. Young leaves were chewed as hunger suppressant, used in various medicinal  preparations