Salal
Gaultheria shallon
An evergreen shrub with leathery, alternate leaves and white to pinkish, urn-shaped flowers. This starter account focuses on Washington, where salal occurs chiefly west of the Cascades.
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Regional status
- Native in Washington
- Habitat
- Forest understory & coastal headlands
- Safety
- Not evaluated
- Regional map
- Pending
A closer look.
The University of Washington Herbarium describes an erect or spreading shrub with oval to egg-shaped leaves and finely toothed margins. Flower clusters bear small, urn-shaped blossoms. Olympic National Park lists salal among the shrubs in its coastal forest. These selected features support observation; they do not form a complete identification key.
University of Washington Herbarium · David Giblin & Hattie Palmer ↗ · National Park Service ↗
Compared with linked references on October 27, 2026. This is source verification, not independent expert review or an identification guarantee. Seasonal tags are approximate. A regional specimen map has not been assembled.
Through the seasons
Evergreen foliage offers year-round observation. The Washington herbarium account lists flowering in May–July; this regional reference is not a local forecast. The season tags refer to observation, not harvest readiness.
Knowledge has a context.
Historical accounts are presented as attributed records, not endorsed practices, medical advice, or permission to harvest.
A historical-use account has not yet been prepared for this profile. A future account requires a named community, traceable attribution, and appropriate cultural review. No cultural practice or medicinal preparation is endorsed here.
Read the regional account.
The Washington account places salal in forest understory and on marine headlands, from sea level to moderate mountain elevations. It gives a broader range from Alaska to California. This profile does not provide a local occurrence map.
Forest understory & coastal headlands
This Washington-focused account uses the linked botanical references. Broader range statements do not mean every jurisdiction has a completed profile, mapped records, or local review. No specimen map is supplied for this record.
University of Washington Herbarium · David Giblin & Hattie Palmer ↗ · National Park Service ↗
A written range.
A map still to come.
This profile has a source-linked distribution account. A regional specimen snapshot has not yet been assembled. Unmapped areas do not imply absence, and this account does not establish a collecting location.
Trace the record.
References are attached to specific parts of this record. A citation is a route to evidence; it is not a claim that every field has completed review.
- 01Gaultheria shallon — Burke Herbarium ↗
University of Washington Herbarium · David Giblin & Hattie Palmer
Supports: Salal leaf, flower, growth and Washington habitat descriptions. Not evidence of identification or edible safety.
- 02Coastal Forest — Olympic National Park ↗
National Park Service
Supports: Olympic coastal-forest context and its listed plants; not a complete Pacific Northwest distribution account.