Plant Data Sheet
* Marble Canyon, Kootenay
National Park, B.C., Canada – 9/13/02 – Marlo Mytty
Species
Squashberry/Highbush cranberry, Viburnum edule (Michx.) Raf.
Range
Commmon throughout nothern North America. Throughout Alaska and across Canada to Newfoundland. Occurs south through New England, Great Lake states, and the Pacific Northwest. Populations also found in Idaho, Montana, North and South Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado.
Mostly
low to middle elevations. In B.C. from sea-level to 4900 ft.; but in Colorado
7000-9000 ft. Southern extent limited by high temperatures and low humidity.
Restricted to wetter moisture regimes in dry climates.
Local occurrence (where, how
common)
Moist woods or forests, forest edges, thickets, gravel or rocky banks and slopes , river bottomlands and terraces, lakes, streambanks, shorelines, and margins of wetlands, swamps, or bogs.
Habitat preferences
Moist, well-drained alluvial soils, sun (but mostly shade tolerant).
Plant strategy type/successional
stage (stress-tolerator, competitor, weedy/colonizer, seral, late successional)
Important
through all stages of succession. Important component of early, mid-seral, and
climax postfire communities. Seed-banking species. Soil disturbance generally
favors germination of stored seed. Root
and stem sprouts after damage.
Associated species
White spuce, black
spruce, paper birch, balsam poplar, quaking aspen, willows, alders,
raspberries, currants, prickly rose (Rosa acicularis), ligonberry (Vaccinium
vitis-idaea)
May be collected as: (seed,
layered, divisions, etc.)
Cuttings or seeds.
Can reproduce by natural layering.
Collection restrictions or
guidelines
Restrictions: Rare
in South Dakota and on official watch list in Maine. Threatened in Michigan, New York, and
Vermont. Endangered in Wisconsin.
Guidelines:
Cuttings: collect mid-June or later after flowering. Seeds: collect mature
fruits when they turn red. Fruits ripen August-October. Seeds are brown at
maturity.
Seed germination (needs dormancy
breaking?)
Most
have embryo dormancy and some impermeable seedcoats. Requires 2-stage
stratification to be broken. 3-5 months
of warm moist stratification at 22 C followed by 3 months of cold moist
stratification at 5 C.
Seed life (can be stored,
short shelf-life, long shelf-life)
Last up to 10
years.
Recommended seed storage
conditions
Clean, air-dried
seeds in sealed containers at 1-3 C for long-term storage.
Propagation recommendations
(plant seeds, vegetative parts, cuttings, etc.)
Vegetatively by
cuttings – softwood best. Rhizome or hardwood cuttings also work. Cuttings 20
cm long and .5 cm in caliper. Rooting greatly increased by treating cuttings
with IBA (Indole-3-butyric acid). Harden outside over winter, under insulating
foam cover and snow. Seeding may be used. Either broadcast on prepared seedbeds
and mulch with sawdust or sow with drills and mulch with straw. Fertile, moist
neutral-slightly acidic soils for germination. Seedlings and cuttings may
require shading depending on location
Soil or medium requirements
(inoculum necessary?)
Moist soils
preferred. For cuttings, sand is good rooting medium.
Installation form (form,
potential for successful outcomes, cost)
Seeds
or seedlings from seeds or rooted cuttings.
Recommended planting density
No
information
Care requirements after
installed (water weekly, water once etc.)
Moist soils.
Normal rate of growth or
spread; lifespan
Plant
first produces fruits at 5 years of age, then in large quantities. Germination
is normally delayed until 2nd growing season after ripening. No
information about lifespan except perennial plant.
Sources cited
Luna, Tara. 2001. Propagation protocol for vegetative production of container Viburnum edule (Michx.) Raf. plants (800 ml containers); Glacier National Park, West Glacier, Montana. In: Native Plant Network. URL: http://www.nativeplantnetwork.org (accessed 16 April 2003). Moscow (ID):University of Idaho, College of Natural Resources, Forest Research Nursery.
Matthews, Robin F. 1992. Viburnum edule. In: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (2003, March). Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. Available:
http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ [April 16, 2003].
Pojar,
J. and A. MacKinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington,
Oregon, British Columbia, and Alaska. Lone Pine Publishing, Vancouver, B.C. 526
p.
Spurr, Joy. 1978.
Wild Shrubs – Finding and Growing Your Own. Pacific Search Press, Seattle,
Washington, 95p.
USDA,
NRCS. 2002. The PLANTS Database, version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov).
National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
Data compiled by: Marlo Mytty, April 16, 2003