I think it's time to feature a few green locals who take centre stage in the West Coast flora. The first is Gaultharia Shallon or Salal. Salal grows in abundance here. It is an evergreen shrub whose habit can be from creeping along the ground to growing into a shrub of six feet, depending on conditions. It has a nice glossy leaf and blooms flowers that resemble small lanterns. In the summer it bears dark berries that are edible. It's a pretty sturdy little plant and can often survive diverse conditions, which is why one sees it tag-teaming with bark mulch in parking lot medians. There it grows stunted and ill in the open sun and makes me grit my teeth. WHY DON'T YOU JUST STICK A STAKE THROUGH ITS HEART? (Cough. Rearrange glasses, tuck shirt back in.) It is much nicer to see it growing all bouncy and lush as an understory growth.