PNW Native
Shrubs grow 3-8 ft tall, woody stems have reddish-brown bark, leaves are alternate and distinctly 5-lobed with rounded leaf tips. Underside of the leaf is hairier and paler than the top of the leaf. Small flowers (¼ in. long) range from white to a rich deep reddish-fuchsia in dense clusters of 10-40 flowers. Dark berries are 7-9 mm long, covered in hairs, and unpalatable. (2) Ranges along the west coast from British Columbia through California. (4)
Thimbleberry prefers low elevation and open sites, clearings, and disturbed environments and grows at lower elevations. (3) Thimbleberries are considered decent browse by elk, white-tailed deer, and mule deer, especially thimbleberry thickets on burn sites, and serve as an important food source. Like other Rubus species, thimbleberry produces abundant amounts of nectar to attract pollinators. Thimbleberry shoots are naturally rich in vitamin C. (1)
Thimbleberries were eaten by all Northwest Coast tribes. The berries were eaten fresh and also preserved, dried, or made into cakes. Soft peeled shoots were eaten in the spring. (2) Berries grown in mountainous or dry environments were considered tastier by the Nez Perce. A tea made with trailing blackberry roots and thimbleberry leaves was used to treat vomiting, a powder made from dried leaves was sprinkled on wounds to aid healing and lessen scarring, leaves were used as toilet paper and menstrual rags, boiling bark then used as soap, and chewing on dry brown leaves as a stomach ache treatment. The people around what is now known as the Salmon River on the Oregon coast would use thimbleberry stems in basket-weaving. (1) The berry’s prized flavor still makes them a popular treat amongst locals today.
Both thimbleberry and salmonberry readily colonize clear-cuts, roadsides, and burn sites. Dense thimbleberry thickets prevent conifers from growing indefinitely, though it may aid in ecological restoration of disturbed sites. (4)
