Tag Archives: Oregon Native Plants

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

Oregon Native: Tufted Hairgrass

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Plant Name:  Deschampsia cespitosa
Common name:  Tufted Hairgrass
Plant Type:  Ornamental Grass
Plant Height:  2’ – 3’
Spread:  1’ – 2’
Bloom Time: July – September
Flower Color:  Tones of Gold, Silver, Purple, Green
Exposure:  Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Average, Medium, Moist, Well-Drained Soil;
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes:  Showy Flowers; Attracts Birds; Winter Interest; Airy Panicles of Variably-Color form a cloud that is attractive when backlit; Deer Resistant.
Note:  Cut Foliage to Ground in Late Winter
Uses: Ground Cover; Rock Gardens; Mixes well with Shade Loving Perennials; Butterfly Gardens, Woodland Gardens.
Native to:  Most of North America
Oregon Native:   YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  4 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford

Oregon Native: Thalictrum sparsiflorum (Fewflower Meadow Rue)

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Plant Name:  Thalictrum sparsiflorum
Common name:  Fewflower Meadow Rue
Plant type:  Herbaceous Perennial
Height:  4’ – 6’
Spread: 2’ – 3’
Bloom Time: June – August
Flower Color:  White to Pinksh
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Average to Medium Well-Drained Soil
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes:  Showy Flower; Deer Resistant.  Blueish, Columbine like foliage with airy clusters atop sturdy stems.
Note:  Powdery Mildew & Rust can occasionally be a problem. Contrary to its name, it produces many flowers.
Uses:  Good Background Plant when grouped.
Native to: Western North America
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  4 – 7

Submitted by: Viki Ashford