Three types of Buffaloberry are native to the USA.
Silver Buffaloberry (Shepherdia argentea)
The most commonly planted is Silver Buffaloberry (Shepherdia argentea). Often considered a Great Plains or South Dakota shrub that the Minnesota Department of Transportation has used for windbreaks and erosion control, the thorny plant has red berries that can be harvested in August. It’s dioecious: there are male and female plants. Burnt Ridge Nursery sells seedlings in multiples of 1, 10, or 100. Once you have 1 and if the male:female ratio of offspring is 1:1 (50% male), then the probability of getting n more of the same sex are probably 0.5^n, (1/2 to the Nth power). But I don’t know the ratio of seedlings. (For persimmons it’s as high as maybe 80% male). Start with approximately 7 to have a good chance of both male and female plants. Drought tolerant, tolerates poor sandy soil, fixes nitrogen. The native nursery near the Twin Cities “Outback Nursey” carries for local buyers, and some permaculture and native food forest oriented websites also sell this variety. It can be used to make jams, jellies, pies, but only eat 1 slice at a time.
https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/trees/treeinfo/silver-buffaloberry
This website at North Dakota State University has recipes:
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Canada Buffaloberry aka Russet Buffaloberry (Shepherdia canadensis)
Russet Buffaloberry aka Canada Buffaloberry (Shepherdia canadensis) also known as Soopolallie or Soapberry, grows in mountains of the USA western states, though some understory plants occur in northern Minnesota and in North Dakota. The berries have a higher saponin content than Silver Buffaloberry, and reportedly can be whipped into a foam that is only digestively tolerated in small quantities. Only eat berries in small quantities, much less than for Silver Buffaloberry. Available from Burnt Ridge Nursery. Should fix nitrogen.
https://nativeplantspnw.com/soapberry-shepherdia-canadensis/
Roundleaf Buffaloberry (Shepherdia rotundifolia)
Roundleaf Buffaloberry (Shepherdia rotundifolia) grows in the American Southwest on the Colorado Plateau, but is generally not desirable for human consumption due to taste and high saponin content. Small quantities can be consumed in quantities much less than for Silver Buffaloberry
Shepherdia rotundifolia Roundleaf Buffaloberry PFAF Plant Database .
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