snowberry
Symphoricarpos albus

Family: Caprifoliaceae.

Type: Deciduous shrub.

Branching: Opposite.

Leaves: Simple leaves with variable margins, from entire to deeply lobed. The pattern of lobation often looks like a mitten, with a single indentation in the margin that forms a thumb and a hand.

Twig: Small, delicate twigs with a reddish hue; this delicacy distinguishes it from twinberry, for example, which has much stouter twigs.

Fruit & Flower: Berries are white, as the name suggests. They are not edible (white berries generally are not).

Miscellaneous: In the same family as elderberry and honeysuckle; as a member of Caprifoliaceae, the mnemonic Mad Cap Buck tells us its leaves are opposite. It grows clonally, and so is usually found in clumps. Typically snowberry is found in moister areas, together with plants such as elderberry and bay.