Tag Archives: Native Plants

Native plant: Veratrum californicum

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White false hellebore (Veratrum californicum) can be identified from the similar green false hellebore (Veratrum viride) by its spreading to ascending panicle branches and white flowers. The latter species has drooping panicle branches in the inflorescence and creamy green flowers. White-false hellebore can be found in vernally moist meadows in the mountains across central and eastern Oregon as well as in lower elevation meadows west of the Cascades and along the Pacific coast.

Common Name: Corn Lily
Water Use: High
Light Requirement: Sun to semi- shade, will not tolerate full shade
Moisture: Moist – Wet
Soil: Loam (medium); Clay (heavy); Sandy (light) if it stays wet.
Attributes: Bold showy plant; White flowers on tall stocks
Note: Cut back when leaves turn brown
Uses:  Native Gardens; Wetlands; Wildflower; Woodland;
Native: Western North America (elevations 3,500ft – 11,000 ft)

Warning: Veratrum californicum has poisonous leaves and roots. The roots are 5 to 10 times as poisonous as leaves or stem, so take special care when handling. Veratrum califoricum causes severe birth defects and death in sheep and in various rodent species.  There are also incidents of llamas, alpacas, goats and cows being affected. Deer and gophers do not bother this plant.

Veratrum californicum Photo by: Klamath Siskiyou Seeds

Article by: Lucretia Weems and Carlotta Lucas

Horticulture Report: Smilacina racemosa

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Plant Name: Smilacina racemosa
Common name: False Solomon’s Seal
Plant type: Perennial, Wildflower
Height: 3’
Spread: 2’
Bloom Time:Mid Spring
Flower: Color White
Exposure: Light to Deep Shade
Soil Requirements: Deep, humus-rich, acid soils
Water Needs: Average to Moist
Attributes: Attracts Bee/Butterfly; Fragrant Flowers followed by Red Berries, Birds and small mammals eat these berries, Easy care, Drought Tolerant, Graceful arching stems
Uses: Woodland Gardens; Native Gardens
Native to: Pacific Northwest
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 – 9

born1945_Wikimedia Commons CC 2.0

Report Submitted by: Viki Ashford

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: 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