Common Snowberry vs Falsebox - TreeTime.ca

Common Snowberry vs Falsebox

Paxistima myrsinites

Symphoricarpos albus

CUSTOM GROW

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

Falsebox
Common Snowberry

Falsebox is a hardy, native evergreen shrub found in forests, rocky slopes, and open woodland sites. Though small and easily overlooked among the leaves, the maroon flowers still supply nectar and pollen for pollinators such as native bees and flies. Blooming in spring, they provide an important early-season food source. Its year-round greenery adds visual interest through the winter.

Falsebox is a low-growing shrub that tolerates a wide range of conditions, including drought once established. It thrives particularly well beneath the shade of mature trees, where few other plants succeed. With its resilience and ecological value, Falsebox is well-suited for naturalization, restoration projects, and diverse landscape plantings.

Common Snowberry is a small deciduous shrub with characteristic white to pink flowers and clusters of white fruit.

This North American native species is very adaptable, and can be used for erosion control in riparian and restoration areas. Snowberry's fruit attracts wildlife, and livestock can consume the berries without issue.

Falsebox Quick Facts

Common Snowberry Quick Facts

Zone: 5a
Zone: 1a
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: any
Light: full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Growth form: prostrate to spreading
Spreading: layering - medium
Suckering: none


Toxicity: berries toxic to humans
Foliage: evergreen, leathery leaves
Bark: reddish-brown
Bark: red-brown shredded bark
Flowers: small, maroon-purple, fragrant
Flowers: pink to white flowers in spring
Bloom time: summer
Berries: white waxy berries
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NT
Other Names: false box, mountain boxwood, mountain lover, myrtle boxwood, oregon boxleaf, oregon boxwood
Other Names: common snowberry