Watermelon Berry or Twisted Stalk

Streptopus amplexifolius

Images: ripe berries; foliage; flowers in bloom; fall foliage with ripe berry

This member of the lily family prefers cool, shady, and damp conditions, where it can grow from 1.5 to about 3 feet high. It is known as “twisted stalk” for its appearance or “watermelon berry” for its fruits; its other names include “wild cucumber” and “scoot berry”.

Watermelon berry is found across North America and Canada. Its distinctive twisted stems support leaves at the junctions; red fruit hangs singly from a zig-zagging thin stem.

The young shoots are edible, and taste similar to cucumber. They can be harvested in early spring and used in salads or cooked with other greens. The fruits can be harvested in summer when they are fully red, and used for jellies, syrups, and juices.

It is used for medicinal purposes as a laxative, explaining the name “scootberry”.

Beware that this edible plant, especially in spring, looks similar to members of the genus Veratrum, which are highly poisonous.

Recipes can be found here: https://www.uaf.edu/ces/publications/database/food/watermelon-berries.php

Works Cited
Schofield, Janice J. Alaska’s Wild Plants: A Guide to Alaska’s Edible Harvest (Alaska Northwest Books: Seattle, WA), 1997, 42.
Wikipedia
University of Alaska Fairbanks

Image Credits
Images have been cropped and resized

Ripe berries
🅭2023 Gilles Ayotte, Laval University, CC BY-SA 4.0
Foliage
🅭2015 Pmau, CC BY-SA 4.0
Flowers in bloom
🅭2002 Dave Powell, U.S. Forest Service, public domain
Fall foliage with ripe berry
🅭2017 Alpsdake, CC BY-SA 4.0