Symphoricarpos occidentalis Hook.

Shrub to 1 m, colonial by roots, the younger parts finely hairy; lvs ovate to ovate-oblong, 2.5–8 cm, often coarsely crenate; fls sessile in short dense spikes terminal and in the upper axils; cor 5–8 mm, the lobes somewhat arcuate-spreading, about equaling the tube; anthers 1.5–2 mm, shorter than the filaments; style 4–7 mm, long-hairy near the middle, seldom glabrous; fr 6–9 mm, white; 2n=36. Dry prairies and moist low ground; Mich. to nw. Mo., w. to B.C. and Colo. June–Aug.

Bluffs, dry prairies and plains, mainly in the Rockies. Forms dense colonies along ditches, streams, and floodplains; and in moist, open, grassy swales on mesas and plains.

The fruit are eaten in times of scarcity.

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings.