Plant Data
Sheet
Shepherdia Canadensis
(Buffaloberry,
Canadian Buffaloberry, Russet Red Buffaloberry, Soapberry, Soopolallie)
Photo courtesy of: http://www.tarleton.edu/~range/New%20Photo%20Slides/Photo%20Slides%20138+/canadian%20buffalo%20berry.jpg
Range
Shepherdia
canadensis
covers area from
Climate, elevation
It is most
common in dry to moist open woods and thickets and found in lowlands to middle
elevation forests. Approximately
4950 feet – 8200 feet.
Local
occurrence (where, how common)
Shores, riverbanks, dry slopes, moist north
slopes, open rocky woods, and occasionally in calcareous marshes. It forms dense thickets along riparian zones
and valley bottoms.
Habitat preferences
It
generally does best in partial shade, nutrient poor soils, and dry to moist
water conditions.
Plant
strategy type/successional stage (stress-tolerator, competitor,
weedy/colonizer, seral, late successional)
Due
to its nitrogen-fixing ability, it is dominant in many areas. It is dominant along with willow in the
second stage of succession in glacial moraines.
As forest transverse into old-growth forests, the cover of Shepherdia
canadensis decreases. It is one of
the first species to arrive after a fire.
Associated species
Abies lasiocarpa, Pinus ponderosa, Picea spp., Abies spp., Pinus glauca, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Populus tremuloides, Pinus contorta, Picea engelmannii.
May
be collected as: (seed, layered, divisions, etc.)
Seeds,
vegetative cuttings
Collection restrictions or
guidelines
Seeds
are to be collected in the autumn months (August/September) and not let to dry, should be cold stratified immediately. Vegetative cuttings of half-ripe wood should
be taken in July/August. The plant will
not fruit until after the first 4-6 years of its life.
Seed
germination (needs dormancy breaking?)
Cold stratification for a minimum of 60
days is necessary for embryo development (dormancy breaking). Sulfuric acid scarification for 20-30 minutes
will create better results of germination.
Seed life
(can be stored, short shelf-life, long shelf-life)
Storage
life is approximately 42 months.
Recommended seed storage
conditions
Dry
to 50% below harvest weight, and store at 400 F.
Propagation
recommendations (plant seeds, vegetative parts, cuttings, etc.)
The
most successful propagation method is cuttings of sprouts off the root
crown. Seed germination is very
difficult due to natural seed coat breaking by birds and animals.
Soil
or medium requirements (inoculum necessary?)
Well
drained.
Installation
form (form, potential for successful outcomes, cost)
Seedings
grown in the nursery, then in a cold frame until their first winter, then
planted in spring or summer.
Recommended planting
density
No
information found.
Care
requirements after installed (water weekly, water once etc.)
Resistant to drought, so water sparingly.
Normal rate of growth or
spread; lifespan
Height
can range from 3-13 feet tall. It has a
shrub form.
Sources cited
1.)
http://www.tarleton.edu/~range/New%20Photo%20Slides/Photo%20Slides%20138+/canadian%20buffalo%20berry.jpg
2.)
http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/shecan/all.html
3.)
http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Shepherdia+canadensis&CAN=LATIND
4.)
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/environment/eao/culres/ethbot/q-s/Shepherdia.htm
5.)
http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/topics.cgi
6.)
http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/shrubs/shepherdiacan.html
7.)
http://www.crfg.org/tidbits/seedprop.html
Data
compiled by: Kevin Klein,