• GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS
• RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM
• REGENERATION PROCESSES
• SITE CHARACTERISTICS
• SUCCESSIONAL STATUS
• SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT

GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Mountain snowberry is a native, deciduous, montane shrub. It is low growing, erect and sometimes trailing, with spreading to arching branches [11,25]. Although averaging 2 to 4 feet (0.6-1.2 m) in height, plants on good sites can grow up to 5 feet (1.5 m), while those on poor sites are barely a foot (0.3 m) tall. Fruits are white, berrylike drupes containing 2 nutlets, each of which contains a seed [33]. The genus Symphoricarpos is widely described as rhizomatous [4,58,66,67], but rhizomatous growth generally is less well developed in mountain snowberry than in most snowberry species [33,57,63].

RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM:

Phanerophyte

REGENERATION PROCESSES:

Mountain snowberry reproduces vegetatively and by seed. Individual plants produce basal sprouts from a root crown; perennating buds are usually located approximately 0.8 to 1.2 inches (2-3 cm) below the ground surface [55,65]. Layering has also been observed in mountain snowberry [11,65]. Herbarium specimens from a ponderosa pine woodland in Musselshell County, Montana, have short, distinct rhizomes [57].

Since no abscission layer is formed on the pedicle, fruits may persist on shrubs for up to 2 seasons before falling to the ground. Seed dormancy is broken by stratification in the soil; ripening and development of the embryo occur during 1 or 2 winters. Seeds do not remain viable and are not stored in the soil for extended periods. Birds and mammals are probably the main dispersal agents. Germination begins in the early spring as soon as the soil thaws. Mountain snowberry germinates best on bare soil in partial shade [52].

SITE CHARACTERISTICS:

Mountain snowberry is found on all aspects on sites ranging from moist to fairly dry and in both acidic and basic soils. It usually occurs in sandy loam to clay loam. Elevational ranges for some western states have been reported as follows [14]:

5,500 to 10,500 feet (1677-3200 m) in Colorado
5,700 to 7,000 feet (1738-2134 m) in Montana
4,000 to 10,500 feet (1220-3200 m) in Utah
8,000 to 8,000 feet (2440-2440 m) in Wyoming

SUCCESSIONAL STATUS:

Mountain snowberry generally establishes in early seral stages and coexists with later arriving species [27,52]. Within pinyon-juniper communities, mountain snowberry remains a major component throughout all successional stages [30]. Mountain snowberry is rarely found in dense shade [60]. Within forested communities mountain snowberry grows under open canopies and along the edges of parks, dry meadows, and other openings.

SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT:

Mountain snowberry initiates growth early in the spring. Basal shoots have been observed growing in the soil before total snowmelt [65]. The carbohydrate reserve cycle for mountain snowberry has been studied in the mountain-brush zone in Utah [15,23,65]. In general, reserves are at a maximum at full flower, and this maximum is maintained as plants enter dormancy in the fall. Reserves are approximately 25% depleted before the end of dormancy (stem bud swelling) due to the sprouting of basal crown buds below the snow and litter layers. The seasonal low is reached when leaves are 1/2 to 3/4ths mature and leaf buds still remain at the apex of the stems. At this time reserves are approximately 40% lower than the summer high in all perennial plant parts. From June until mid-August carbon reserves are replenished in all plant parts. Stem growth and limited flower production and set are all accomplished during this time.

There is a seasonal change in the aboveground and belowground distribution of carbon reserves. Generally carbohydrate reserve quantities are greater in the aboveground biomass than in the belowground biomass. This balance shifts at the point of maximum reserve depletion (late May or early June) [23].

Average dates of the initiation of phenological events at different elevations on the Wasatch Plateau, Utah, from 1925 to 1934, are presented below [8].

Phenological event                 Elevation                           
 
                       7,655 ft    8,450 ft    8,850 ft 
                       (2234 m)    (2576 m)    (2698 m) 

                                     Date             

Flower buds bursting   June 17      June 22    July 2
Leaf buds bursting     May 3        May 8      May 19
In full leaf           June 1       June 5     June 15
In full bloom          June 26      June 30    July 8
Fruit all ripe         Aug. 20      Aug. 17    Aug. 21
Fruit dropped          Sept. 18     Sept. 12   Sept. 26
Leaves all dropped     Oct. 6       Oct. 14    Oct. 11

Related categories for SPECIES: Symphoricarpos oreophilus | Mountain Snowberry