Gaultheria shallon is an evergreen shrub in the heather family (Ericaceae), native to western North America.

Each flower is composed of a deeply five-parted, glandular-haired calyx and an urn-shaped pink to white, glandular to hairy, five-lobed petals (corolla), 7 to 10 millimetres (1⁄4 to 3⁄8 in) long.

[5][6] The genus Gaultheria was named by Pehr Kalm for his guide in Canada, fellow botanist Jean François Gaultier.

It is a common coniferous forest understory species where shade is not heavy and may dominate large areas with its spreading rhizomes.

There are mixed reports on its impact on Douglas-fir regrowth; on some sites it may hinder it, but on others it may add nutrients to the soil and actually increase conifer regeneration.

Browsing is heaviest when other low-growing species become covered in snow; in Western Washington salal leaves composed 30.4% of deer diet by volume in January, compared to only 0.5% in June.

[13] The leaves have relatively low nutritional value, and deer which feed exclusively on them have shown signs of malnutrition, cementing their status as a winter and emergency food for ungulates.

[2] It provides important cover and hiding places for a variety of species, from large ungulates to small birds and mammals.

Although aboveground portions of the plant may be consumed, rhizomes in the soil will survive and resprout after light to moderate fires.

[2] It readily colonizes heathland and acidic woodland habitats in southern England, often forming very tall and dense evergreen stands which smother other vegetation.

As an invasive species, salal is resistant to many herbicides because of its waxy foliage, although Garlon and Silvex can be effective when properly applied.

[2] In the Pacific Northwest, the harvesting of G. shallon is the heart of a large industry which supplies cut evergreens worldwide for use in floral arrangements.