Category Archives: Oregon Native Plants

Oregon Native Plant: Aralia californica

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Plant Name: Aralia californica
Common name:Spikenard, Elk’s Clover, Western Aralia
Plant type:Perennial Herb
Height: 3’ – 9’
Spread: 10’
Bloom Time:June – September
Flower Color:Greenish White flowers, (Dark Purple Berries in the fall)
Exposure: Part to Full Shade
Soil Requirements:Medium drainage; moist
Water Needs: Moderate to High
Attributes:Attracts beneficial insects; yellow autumn foliage; deer resistant
Note: Ginseng family
Uses: Shade Gardens, Fall color, Deer-Resistant gardens,
Native to: California and Oregon
Oregon Native:YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 8

Report Submitted by: Viki Ashford

Photos from: Klamath- Siskiyou Native Seeds https://klamathsiskiyouseeds.com/2016/02/19/western-aralia-aralia-californica/

Oregon Native Plant: Dryopteris arguta (Coastal Wood Fern)

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Plant Name:  Dryopteris arguta
Common name:  Coastal Wood Fern or Shield Fern
Plant type:  Fern
Height:  2’
Spread: 1’ – 3’
Bloom Time: NA
Flower Color:  NA
Exposure: Full sun, Partial Sun, Full Shade
Soil Requirements:  Tolerates Clay.
Water Needs:  Low
Attributes:  Deer Resistant; Host plant for Orange Tortrix Moths; Drought Tolerant; Evergreen.
Uses:  Ground Cover; Native Gardens;  Pollinator Garden; Naturalizing; Woodland Gardens; Shade Gardens; Border Planting; Slope Planting;
Native to: Pacific Northwest
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  7 – 9

Report submitted by: Viki Ashford

Photo Resource: John Rusk from Berkeley, CA, United States of America [CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]

NOTE:

Orange Tortrix Moths: The larvae of the Orange Tortrix feed primarily on blackberry, dewberry, raspberry, and grapes. They feed on any tender, exposed vine tissue, weeds, and in grapes on the vine. They enter the shoot clusters at bloom time and make webbed nests among the berries. They injure leaves and berry stems as well. In addition to this physical injury, they vector in disease organisms that introduce rot.

Oregon Native Plant: Eriogonum umbellatum

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Plant Name: Eriogonum umbellatum
Common name:  Sulphur Flower Buckwheat
Plant type: Herbaceous Perennial
Height:  ½’ – 1’
Spread: 1’ – 3’
Bloom Time: May – September
Flower Color:  Cream or Yellow
Exposure: Sun, Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Gravelly Soil
Water Needs: Low
Attributes:    Leaves are green above and gray-woolly beneath.  Flower clusters occur on 6-9 in. stems. The cream to sulfur-yellow, tubular flowers fade to orange or red.  Flowers are showy & fragrant. Drought- tolerant

Note:   This is an exceedingly variable species with many different varieties & subspecies, and this adds to the difficulties of identification in a complex group of similar western species. Because the species is so variable, it is especially important to choose material from a habitat that matches your site.  Propagate by thickly planting seed; does not transplant well due to long tap root.

Uses:  Attracts butterflies, native bees, & birds. Native Gardens; Rock Gardens; Pollinator gardens; Dry rocky slopes.
Native to:  California, Oregon, Western US & Canada
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  4 – 8

Find seeds through native seed growers: Klamath-Siskiyou Native Seeds, and  Plant World Seeds

Report by: Viki Ashford,
Photo 1 by: Carlotta Lucas
Photo 2 by: Klamath-Siskiyou Native Seeds

Horticulture Report: Lewis’ Mock Orange

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Plant Name:  Philadelphus lewisii
Common name:  Lewis’ Mock Orange
Plant type:       Deciduous Shrub
Height: 5’ – 10’
Spread:   6’
Bloom Time: Late May- July
Flower Color:  White with Yellow Anthers
Exposure: Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Thrives in most garden soil
Water Needs: Low Moisture
Attributes:   Showy Fragrant Flowers; Broadly arching; Attracts Butterflies & bees; Deer Resistant; Use as a Hedge
Note:   Prune after bloom
Uses:  Hedge, Native Garden, Pollinator Garden, Cottage Garden, Perennial Garden
Native to: British Columbia to Northern California
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  4 – 9  ( Blizzard Mock Orange hardiness 2B-3)

Submitted by: Viki Ashford, Ashland Garden Club

Oregon Native: Hooker’s Fairy Bell

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Plant Name: Disporum hookeri
Common name:Hooker’s Fairy Bell
Plant type:Perennial
Height: 1’ – 3’
Spread: 2’ – 3’
Bloom Time:Late Spring
Flower Color:White
Exposure: Partial to Full Shade
Soil Requirements: Average to rich in organic content
Water Needs: Moist
Attributes:Fall red berries; Flowers attract native bees & other pollinators; Ground-feeding birds eat berries.
Uses: Deep Shade Gardens, Native Gardens, Forested areas, Slopes, Pollinator Gardens
Native to: Washington/Oregon
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:4b – 8b

Report Submitted by: Viki Ashford

Oregon Native: Red Baneberry

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Plant Name:  Actaea rubra
Common name:  Red Baneberry
Plant type:  Perennial Herb
Height: 1.3’ – 2.6’
Spread: 1′
Bloom Time:  Spring-Summer
Flower Color:  White
Exposure: Part to Full Shade
Soil Requirements:  Tolerates variety of garden soils with moisture.
Water Needs: Low to High
Attributes:  Deer Resistant; Shade Garden Plant with Red Berries
NOTE:   Berries are POISONOUS, but not to birds.  Plants don’t flower until third year.
Uses:  Bank Stabilization, Shade Gardens, Native Gardens
Native to: North America
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  3-8

Report submitted by:  Viki Ashford

Photo by: Julie Makin, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center