Category Archives: Oregon Native Plants

Oregon Native: Collomia grandiflora

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Plant Name:  Collomia grandiflora
Common name: Large Flower Collomia
Plant Type:  Annual Herb
Plant Height:  4” – 3’
Bloom Time: April – June
Flower Color:  Yellow Salmon to White with Blue Pollen
Exposure:  Part Shade to Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Dry
Water Needs:  Low to No Water.
Attributes: Pollen for Bees.
Note:  Flowers are eaten by deer.  Powdery mildew is possible.
Uses: Cut Flower; Native Garden; Wildflower gardening; Pollinator Garden.
Native to:  Western North America
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  6a – 9b

Report by: Viki Ashford

Oregon Native Plant: Ceanothus cuneatus (Buckbush)

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High risk plant for wildfire, so not a good choice for homes in wildfire  regions!

Plant Name:  Ceanothus cuneatus
Common name:  Buckbrush
Plant Type:  Native, Perennial, Evergreen Shrub
Plant Height:  3.3’ – 11.5’
Spread:  2.5’ – 3.5’
Bloom Time: February – April
Flower Color:  Creamy White to Pale Blue to Lavendar
Exposure:  Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Tolerates Sand, Clay, & Serpentine, but needs fast drainage.
Water Needs:  Very Low Moisture.
Attributes:  Pollen/Nectar for Native Bees; Host for some Butterflies; Drought Tolerant; Deer Tolerant.
Note:  Mature Plants are highly flammable.
Uses:  Fragrant Flowers; Hedge/Screen or Small Tree.
Native to:  Western States to Baja CA
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  7b – 10b

Report by: Viki Ashford

Photo by: Eric in SF [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

Oregon Native Plant: Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus (Yellow Rabbitbush)

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Plant Name:  Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus
Common name: Yellow Rabbitbrush
Plant Type:  Shrub
Plant Height:  8” – 39”
Bloom Time: August – October
Flower Color:  Yellow
Exposure:  Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Course to Medium; Well-Drained.
Water Needs:  Low
Habitat: Dessert and semi-dessert
Attributes:  Drought Tolerant; Provides Cover & Nesting Habitat for Small Birds; Fall Forage for Some Butterflies; Pollen/Nectar for Native Bees; Provides Cover for Rabbits.
Note:  Spring Forage for Deer.
Uses: Restoration & Re-vegetation Plantings; Drought-Tolerant Plantings; Native Gardens; Low Maintenance Gardens; Rock Gardens.
Native to:  Western North America
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  5b – 8b

Report by: Viki Ashford

Photo: Wikimedia Commons Taken By: Matt Lavin, Bozeman Montana, USA https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chrysothamnus_viscidiflorus_(3939348143).jpg

Pacific Wildflower

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On our hike yesterday we saw one of our favorite wildflowers, a Pacific Hounds Tongue, it is an old herbal I first heard of in Tasha Tudor literature. It is a Borage Family member and has a pretty little ‘forget me not” flower.”   ~Joanie Kintscher, AGC President

Pacific Hounds Tongue (Adelinia grande) is an early-blooming native perennial plant that prefers to grow in light dappled shade. Hound’s tongue is commonly found growing beneath Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana). It attracts native bees and hummingbirds and is an occasional larval host plant for moths and butterflies.

Oregon Native: Callirhoe involucrate (Purple Poppy Mallow)

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Plant Name:  Callirhoe involucrate
Common name:  Purple Poppy Mallow
Plant Type:  Herbaceous Perennial
Plant Height:  .5’ – 1’
Spread:  .5’ – 3’
Bloom Time: May – June
Flower Color:  Magenta
Exposure:  Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Dry, Shallow, Rocky
Attributes:  Showy Flower; Drought Tolerant; Nectar for Bees; Attracts Butterflies.
Note:  Grows well from seed & may self-show.  Long tap root makes transplanting difficult.
Uses:  Semi-Evergreen Ground Cover; Rock Gardens; Native Plant Gardens.
Native to:  Central United States
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  4 – 8

Report by: Viki Ashford

Photo by: Stan Shebs Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Callirhoe_involucrata_group.jpg

Oregon Native Plant:  Iris tenax (Oregon Iris)

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Plant Name:  Iris tenax
Common name:  Oregon Iris
Plant type:  Perennial
Height:  1’ – 3’
Spread: 2’
Bloom Time: April – June
Flower Color:  Pink, Purple, White, Yellow
Exposure: Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Drier, Well-Drained
Water Needs:  Medium
Attributes:  Attracts Hummingbirds; Drought Tolerant once established; Evergreen.
Note:  Rhizomes may be poisonous to animals & humans.
Uses:  Rock Garden Plant; Edge of Gravel Path or Front in the Perennial Border.
Native to:  California, Oregon, Washington
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  7 – 9

Report submitted by: Viki Ashford

Photo Resource: Wikimedia Photo by: Peter B James Pbjamesphoto