Category Archives: Oregon Native Plants

Oregon Native: Amelanchier pallida

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Plant Name:  Amelanchier pallida
Common name:  Pale Serviceberry
Plant type:  Deciduous Shrub
Height:  10’
Bloom Time: April – June; Fruiting – July – September
Flower Color:  White
Exposure: Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Moist Soil; Tolerates Sandy/Loamy/Clay Soils.
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes:  Hosts Butterflies & Moths.
Note: Self Fertile; Edible Fruit, but Birds will strip plant before ripe.
Deer eat leaves & twigs, Bears eat the berries.
Uses:  Pollinator Garden, Woodland Garden, High elevation plant, Along stream beds.
Native to:  Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  3 – 8

Additional Information: https://calscape.org/Amelanchier-pallida-()

Report by: Viki Ashford, AG Member and Master Gardener

Photo: http://www.intermountainnursery.com

Oregon Native: Thimbleberry

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Plant Name:  Rubus parviflorus

Common name:  Thimbleberry
Plant Type:  Perennial Shrub
Plant Height: 4’ – 8.2’
Spread: 4’ – 8’
Bloom Time: Spring; Fruit Mid to Late Summer.
Flower Color: White
Exposure: Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Moist, Fertile, Fast Drainage; Slightly Acidic.
Water Needs: Moderate to High
Firewise:  Yes    *Please Note: Firewise does not mean Fire Proof!
Attributes:  Hosts several Butterflies & Moths; Attracts Birds
Note: Thornless. If Fruit is priority:  Remove fruited canes immediately after harvest; leave non-fruiting canes to overwinter.  Possible Problems:  Leaf spot, anthracnose, botrytis, powdery mildew, root rots, verticillium wilt, raspberry mosaic, cane borers & crown borers, aphids.
Uses:  Bird Garden, Native Garden, Hedge.
Native to:  Western North America
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 10

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member and Master Gardener

Photos from Lady Bird Johnson Wildflowers website taken by Terry Glase

For more information on Thimbleberries: https://calscape.org/Rubus-parviflorus-(Western-Thimbleberry)

Oregon Native Plant: Salmonberry

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Plant Name:  Rubus spectabilis
Common name:  Salmonberry
Plant Type:  Deciduous Shrub
Plant Height: 3’ – 10’
Spread:  3’ – 6’
Bloom Time: March – June; Fruit June to August.
Flower Color: Red or Rose; Fruit Color is Yellow, Orange, or Red
Exposure: Sun or Shade
Soil Requirements:  Tolerant of Sandy or Clay Soil with Various Soil Drainage.
Water Needs: Moderate to High
Attributes:  Nectar for Bees, Butterflies, Other Insect, Hummingbirds; Deer Resistant.
Note: Biennial Stems: The 1st year only leaves; 2nd year develop lateral shoots which bear fruit.
Uses: Thickets for Birds; Bank Stabilization from Deep Rhizomatous Root Growth.
Native to:  Western North America
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member, Master Gardener

Berry with leaf – Photo by: Margalob / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

Flower – Photo by :Walter Siegmund / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Oregon Native: Rough Fruit Berry

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Plant Name:  Rubus lasiococcus
Common name:  Rough Fruit Berry, Dwarf Bramble
Plant Type:  Perennial Subshrub/Groundcover
Plant Height: Few Inches
Spread: Small Vine
Bloom Time: June to August
Flower Color: White; small red fruit
Exposure: Sun
Water Needs:  Moist
Attributes: Attracts Bumble & Native Bees; Hummingbirds, & Moths
HOST for: White-lined sphinx, Alfalfa Looper Moth, Elegant Sheep Moth, Red-humped Caterpillar, Lappet Moth, Fingered Dagger Moth, Lunate Zale Moth.

Note: Trailing Vine, Thornless, Freely Rooting.
Uses: Fruit
Native to:  British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4-7

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC member & Master Gardener                            and Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member

Photo by: Walter Siegmund / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Oregon Native: Red Elderberry

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Plant Name:  Sambucus racemosa
Common name: Red Elderberry

Plant Type:  Deciduous Shrub or Small Tree
Plant Height: 10’ – 20’
Width:  8′-10′
Bloom Time: April – July
Flower Color: Creamy White Flowers Followed by Bright Red Berries.
Exposure: Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Moist, Well Draining Loamy, Silty, Nutrient Rich.
Water Needs: High Moisture
Attributes:  Nectar for Hummingbirds; Fragrant Flowers; Attracts Butterflies; Deer Resistant.
Note: Susceptible to Viral Canker, Powdery Mildew, Leaf Spot, Cane Borers.


Uses: Soil Stabilization; Wildlife Garden; Hedge.
Native to:  Most of North America
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 7

” Warning: Red Elderberry Fruits are not edible when raw, but when cooked they make a good jam, pie, and wine.” (Oregon State University)

Report By: Viki Ashford, AGC member & Master Gardener

Photos from: Oregon State University https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/sambucus-nigra-subsp-cerulea

Oregon Native: Blackcap Raspberry

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Plant Name:  Rubus leucodermis
Common name: Whitebark Raspberry or Blackcap Raspberry
Plant Type:  Deciduous Shrub-Vine, Arching or Trailing
Plant Height: 1’ – 6.6’
Spread: 3’
Bloom Time: Spring; Fruit Ripens July – Aug
Flower Color: White
Exposure: Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Tolerant of Sand, Loam, & Clay.
Water Needs:  Moderate to High
Attributes: Host to some Butterflies & Moths.
Note: Thorny Shoots; Crown is Perennial, Canes are Biennal; First Year Stems (Primocanes) are non-flowering; Flowers form on 2ne Year Lateral Stems (Floricanes).
Uses: Bird Gardens; Fruit Gardens.
Native to:  Western North America
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: To Zone 5

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member, Master Gardener

Photo by: Aleazrocha / Public domain https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rubusleucodermis2.jpg