There are over 400 species in the Rubus genus worldwide. The genus includes domesticated blackberries, raspberries, loganberries and boysenberries, as well as native dewberries, salmonberries and thimbleberries. At lease 12 species are native to the Pacific Northwest. They are an important source of wild food for animals and birds. It is especially widespread near coastal areas and in the coast ranges.
Salmonberries form dense thichets under red alder inshady swamps and in moist sites along roadsides.
The yellow or orange berries are generally tasty. The Native Americans ate them fresh but considered them too watery for drying. The tasty red berries were eaten fresh and dried by the Native Americans. Thimbleberries grow in clearings, along roadsides and shorelines, and in open woods. They are among the most shade tolerant of the native berries.