The Giant Purple Wakerobin (Trillium kurabayashii J.D. Freeman) is a rare plant that is endemic to the coastal areas of Southeast Oregon and extreme Northwest California. They can form large colonies.
These pictures were taken in the Bellevue Botanical Gardens, Bellevue, Washington on 6 April 2013.
Closeup of flowers showing twisted petals.
The plants are from 8 to 28 inches tall. Each leaf is up to 6 inches long and mottled with brown.
The petals are spreading and 2 to 4.5 inches long and a dark liver red in color.They become twisted as they age.
The sepals are 2 to 3 inches long and are mostly green but marked with brown. They thrive in moist, deep humus covered soils.
The Long-tailed Ginger (Asarumcaudatum Lindl.) is a mat-forming evergreen plant that grow in moist places on forest floors.
It naturally occurs in two separate regions in the Pacific Northwest. One region is west of the Cascade crest from SW British Columbia to NW California, and the other region is in the interior and runs from SE British Columbia through E Washington to NE Oregon and east to the extreme Western edge of Montana.
The plant’s rhizomes run along the surface of the soil among the leaf litter. The heart-shaped evergreen leaves arise generally in pairs from the rhizomes at nodes generally in pairs. The flowers grow singly from the end of the rhizomes, are dark maroon or rarely green in color, the three calyx tips taper into long tails, and the inner surface of flower tube white has one red horizontal stripe.
The plants has some limited medicinal value and gives off a ginger-like scent when the rhizome or leaves are crushed or broken.
Photos taken at the Bellevue Botanical Garden, Bellevue, Washington.
In the tradition of Western Washington, a larger number of the trees growing in the Bellevue Botanical Garden were covered with moss and lichens. The mild climate and relatively heavy rainfall makes for healthy moss growing conditions. As thick as the moss was in Bellevue, it is even thicker in the temperate rain forest on the Olympic Peninsula. In some places it is so thick, it is difficult to find bark on the trees.
As I have not studied mosses and lichens, I will not hazard a guess on what species we are seeing here. If you happen to know, let me know and I will post the names.
The Western Oakfern (Gymnocarpium dryopteris (L.) Newman), also called the Common Oak Fern or Northern Oak Fern is a fern of the family Polypodiaceae.
Its natural range is widespread and circumboreal, occurring throughout Canada, Alaska, the Northern two tiers of states in the USA as well as the Rocky Mountain States. It also occurs in Northern areas of Europe and Asia.
The Western Oakfern prefers cool, coniferous and mixed woods and at the base of shale talus slopes.
Oak fern is easily identified by its delicate, triangular fronds, which are usually held nearly horizontal.
Photos taken at the Bellevue Botanical Garden, Bellevue, Washington.
The Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium (Pursh) Nutt.) is a flowering evergreen shrub in the Barberry Family (Berberidaceae) that is native to Western North America. It can become naturalized outside of its typical range if conditions are acceptable. In some places the plant is considered to be an exotic invasive. It is the State Flower of Oregon.
It can be found from sea level to 7,000 feet in oak forests, to conifer forests, and to sagebrush deserts.
In Washington, it can be found in almost every county. In Oregon, it grows mainly west of the Cascade crest and in the extreme Northeastern part of the state.
The leaves are up to 10 inches long and are pinnately compound with 5 to 9 leaflets per leaf. The leaflets are holly-like, leathery, and shiny with spines on the margins.
The flowers are bright yellow in dense clusters at the end of the branches.The edible fruits are dark-blue round berries. The berries are covered with a white waxy powder.
The Oregon Grape is not related to true grapes, but gets its name from the purple clusters of berries whose color and slightly dusted appearance are reminiscent of grapes.
Granddaughter Nellie point the skunk cabbage out for Grandpa
Along the path in the Nature Discovery area of the Bellevue Botanical Garden in the wet areas next to a pond, we spotted some American Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton americanus Hultén & H. St. John). This member of the Arum Family (Araceae) naturally grows In Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and California. It locally common next to streams and other wet areas. The plant was introduced to Britain and Ireland in 1901 and has escaped and become naturalized in several areas.
In Washington State, it is found in virtually every county west of the Cascade Crest and in the three Northeastern counties of the state.
The whole plant is foul smelling. The odor permeates the whole area where the colonies are found, and can be detected in old dried botanical specimens.
The leaves appear at flowering and are egg-shaped and deep-green. Typically, they are between 1 and 2 feet long, and about half as wide as long. The flowers use the smell to attract pollinators. They are yellow-green and numerous attached to a spike, called a spadix, which is surrounded by a large bract, called a spathe.
Interestingly, the root are what is called contractile. This means that as the plant grows, the roots pull the crown of the plant deeper into the mucky soil. It is claimed that this characteristic has allow some individual plants to remain in an area for hundreds of years as long as the soil does not completely dry out.
Native Americans used the plant as a medicine for burns and injuries as well as a food in times of famine. The plant is said to have a peppery taste. Due to the high calcium oxalate content, care should be taken in preparation for human consumption.
Near the entrance to the Bellevue Botanical Garden we spotted some Apple Serviceberry (Amelanchier X grandiflora) in full bloom. I did some research and according to numerous sources, this is a hybrid of between is a cross between Amelanchier arborea and Amelanchier laevis. However, the USDA plant profile site lists the Amelanchier X grandiflora as a synonym of Amelanchier laevis.
Whatever its name or origin, it was a pretty site. For more information about this hybrid, refer to Missouri Botanical Garden website.
The Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum Pursh) has the largest leaf of any maple in the world, up to 24 inches across. It naturally occurs in the coastal areas from the extreme southern tip of the Alaskan Panhandle to Southern California. There are sizable populations in the Sierra Nevada Range and a tiny population in Idaho as well. In the far north of its range, it can be found at sea level to about 1000 feet and in the mountains of Southern California, it can be found between 3,000 and 7,000 feet.
A young tree
The Bigleaf Maple generally grows to heights of 50 to 70 feet in forest stands, but exceptional individuals attain heights up to 100 feet. Some trees have been known to live to about 300 years.
It is the second most common hardwood tree in the Pacific Northwest, next to the Red Alder (Alnusrubra Bong.) It can be tapped for maple syrup, but a commercially viable industry has not been developed.
The Bigleaf Maple has also been used in the lumber industry. It is highly prized for its burly and wavy appearance as veneer.
Moss-covered branches
It grows in a wide variety of climates from the temperate rain forests of the Olympic Peninsula to the hot, dry areas of Southwestern Oregon. In areas of heavy rainfall, some trees are covered with epiphytic moss. (Epiphytic means growing on another plant for mechanical support, not nutrition.)
Flower clusters hanging down on ends of branches
The trees begin to produce seed at about 10 years. The flowers are monoecious, (meaning the flowers have both male and female parts on the same individual.) The flowers appear in the early spring and hang down in clusters (pendulous racemes), up to 6 inches long, at the ends of the branches. About 2 to 4 weeks after bud-burst they are pollinated by insects.
Closeup of flowers
Bigleaf maple seeds (not shown here, wrong season) are borne in pubescent, double samaras with wings up to 2 inches long. The seeds are triangular or oval in shape and up to 0.5 inches long.
Closeup of trunk showing bark
The bark is grayish brown and shallowly grooved when mature.
Immature leaf
The leaves typically run between 6 to 12 inches across when mature, but leaves up to 24 inches have been found.
These photos were taken at the Bellevue Botanical Garden, Bellevue, Washington.
The Coastal Rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum D. Don ex G. Don) is the State Flower of Washington.
It is a broadleaf evergreen rhododendron species native to western North America. Its natural range is primarily near the Pacific coast, but its range extends to the Cascade Mountains in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, with outlying populations in Northern California.
The Coastal Rhododendron is shrub that grows to 30 feet high. Its leaves are evergreen and are retained for 2 to 3 years and are up to 9 inches long. The flowers appear in clusters at the end of the branches and are up to 2 inches long.
The Coastal Rhododendron thrives in disturbed habitats such as roadside embankments and recently deforested wildlands. It is a seral species, and can flourish in recently burned over areas.
Although its blossoms are an impressive sight, it is not as popular as other rhododendron species because it is not easy to grow.
Archibald Menzies found the Coastal Rhododendron in May 1792 when he and George Vancouver made landfall near present-day Port Discovery, Washington.
These photos were taken at the Bellevue Botanical Garden, Bellevue, Washington.
I was impressed with the Bellevue Botanic Garden and their effort to capture the native flora. Of all the flowers on display, I think my favorite was the Giant White Fawn Lily – (Erythroniumoregonum Applegate). It was definitely the largest member of the Erythronium genus that I have ever seen.
It naturally occurs from British Columbia to Oregon west of the Cascade Crest with a few outlying populations in Northern California along the coast.
The plant grows from a bulb about 2 inches wide. It produces wide green leaves up to 9 inches long, which are mottled with brown and white. The flowering stalk can reach 16 inches and bears one to three flowers. The tepals of the flowers are mostly white with yellow bases. Sometimes red streaks are visible.
Several Spring-Gold plants with one little Curved-seed Butterwort going to seed in the bottom middle.
The Common Spring-Gold (Crocidium multicaule Hook.) is a delicate spring blooming annual member of the Aster Family (Asteraceae). It ranges from British Columbia, through Washington and Oregon, to Northern California. (These pictures were taken at the Westbound Ryegrass Rest Area along Interstate 90.)
Population of Spring-Gold
It grows in open grasslands in sandy soils and is often seen in dense populations covering large areas.
Flower head with eight ray flowers
It is normally 2 to 8 inches high. Each flower head consists of usually eight ray flowers and numerous disk flowers.
Tufts of hairs in the leaf axils
The leaves are alternate and linear to oval in shape. The name Crocidium means tufts and refers to the tufts of hairs found leaf axils, and multicaule means multi-stemmed.
The Foothill Death Camas (Toxicoscordion paniculatum (Nutt.) Rydb. is native to the Western USA from Washington and Montana on the north to California and New Mexico on the south. In Washington, it is found in most counties between the Cascade Crest and the Idaho border. It grows in a wide variety of habitats ranging from the sagebrush deserts to Ponderosa Pine forests to mid-elevation mountain tops.
Closeup of flowers
The plants are between 12 to 30 inches high arising from a dark brown to black coated bulb. The flowers are cream-white in color and are arranged in a fairly open panicle (or branched cluster) consisting of up to 80 flowers per cluster. The flowers at the tip of the stem are bisexual, while the ones lower on the stem are generally male (staminate) or sterile. The three outer petals are shorter than the three inner petals. The leaves are 8 to 20 inches long and about 1/2 inches wide.
The Foothill Death Camas can be poisonous to grazing livestock; fortunately, they tend to avoid eating it because the leaves are unpalatable. The bulbs of the Foothill Death Camas, which are similar in appearance to the edible Blue Camas, are known to be poisonous to humans.
The scientific names Zigadenus paniculatus (Nutt.) S. Watson and Helonias paniculatus Nutt. for this species can be found in historic literature.
The Thymeleaf Buckwheat (Eriogonum thymoides Benth.) is a subshrub that is endemic to Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. In Washington, it is found on the eastern slopes of the Cascades and in the Columbia Basin. It is locally common in dry or rocky soils in sagebrush deserts, Ponderosa Pine forest openings and on rocky ridges. These photos were taken at the Vantage Overlook on 5 April 2013.
Close-up of leaves
The plant forms a mat or low cushion with the less than 1/2 inch long linear leaves at the ends of the branches. It has a taproot to help it survive in dry conditions.
Close-up of inflorescence showing the involucre bracts.
The flowering stem is 1 to 4 inches long and the flowers form a cluster in a single cup formed by bracts (also called involucre bracts). Each stem has a whorl of small bracts near the middle. The color of the flowers range from yellowish-white to rose-red.
Closeup of flowers
The species is polygamodioecious, meaning some of the plants have both male and bisexual flowers, while others have both female and bisexual flowers.
Rock garden enthusiasts have been able to successfully cultivate this species from seed.
Carey’s Balsamroot (Balsamorhizacareyana A. Gray) is found on east of the Cascade Mountains in Washington and Oregon. This member of the Aster Family (Asteraceae) is not as widespread as the Arrowleaf Balsamroot, but is common in its more limited range. The leaves are similar in shape to the Arrowleaf Balsamroot, but not as hairy and the margins are more wavy. The plants pictured here were growing at the Vantage Overlook next to Interstate 90 along the Columbia River Gorge.
It thrives in a wide variety of habitats, but seems to like drier locations than its relative Arrowleaf Balsamroot. The plant was named for Asa Gray’s botanist friend John Carey.
Carey’s Balsamroot – full plantCarey’s BalsamrootCarey’s Balsamroot – top side of leafUnderside of leaf Carey’s Balsamroot
Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) is an aromatic evergreen shrub from the Aster Family (Asteraceae). It is native to Intermountain West of North America, thriving in arid and semi-arid habitats ranging from cold deserts to dry mountain slopes. It is the dominant species in large swaths of its natural range.
It is a coarse shrub that combines a taproot and a shallow root system so that it can take advantage of both watertable water and any available surface water. Individual plants can live to be well over 100 years.
Leaf showing the characteristic three terminal lobes
It has pale-yellow flowers and silvery-grey foliage. The leaves are between 3/8 to 1-1/4 inches long and have a three lobes on their tips.
The plant contains numerous aromatic and volatile oils (camphor, terpenoid oils, etc.) which gives it its characteristic odor and bitter taste. The bitter taste serves to discourage browsing by herbivores.
Big Sagebrush
Habitat alteration is reducing its range. Big Sagebrush is not fire tolerant and destruction of native grasses and herbs predominantly by overgrazing creates conditions for fire which in turn creates an opening for invasives such as Cheatgrass to takeover. This makes it difficult for Big Sagebrush to re-establish itself.
Descurainia pinnata (Walter) Britton is a member of the Mustard Family (Brassicaceae) known as the Western Tansymustard. It is an annual native to North America and is found in every USA state except Alaska, Hawaii, and Alabama as well as throughout Canada and Mexico. It can be found in a variety of habitats and can springs up in barren sites with poor soil.
Inflorescence from above
It especially seems to do the best in the drier plant communities like sagebrush deserts and short bunchgrass communities. This species is highly variable with several subspecies, and as far as I can determine, these plants appear to be Descurainiapinnata (Walter) Britton ssp. nelsonii (Rydb.) Detling or Nelson’s Tansymustard .
Pinnate leaf
The leaves are highly lobed. At the end of the stems are tiny golden-yellow flowers. The fruits are siliques about 0.25 to 0.75 inches long. The plant is nutritious to grazing animals in small quantities, but can be toxic in large quantities due to nitrates and other related compounds. The seeds are similar to black mustard and can be consumed as food for humans.
These photos were taken at the Vantage Overlook off of Interstate-90.
Close-up of inflorescenceSide view of inflorescence with siliques starting to form
The Low Pussytoes (Antennaria dimorpha (Nutt.) Torr. & A. Gray) is a mat-forming low growing perennial member of the Aster family (Asteraceae) which prefers drier habitats like sagebrush desert and bunchgrass communities.
It is native to western North America from Southern British Columbia to Northern California to Nebraska. In Washington, it is found in all but two counties east of the Cascades Crest.
Close up of mature pistillate (female) flowering heads
The Low Pussytoes is dioecious, meaning that male (staminate) flowers and female (pistillate) flowers are born on separate plants, or in other words sexually dimorphic. (Thus the species name dimorpha.)
The mats are formed at the top of a many-branched caudex (type of tap root.)
The plant pictured here mature female flowers. Pictures taken at the Vantage Overlook along Interstate 90.
Several flower headsGranddaughter Nellie pointing out a clump of Low Pussytoes to Grandpa.
The Wingnut Cryptantha (Cryptantha pterocarya (Torr.) Greene) is a diminutive spring blooming annual of the Forget-me-not Family (Boraginaceae) that is commonly found in uplands and sagebrush deserts in the west from Washington State to Texas, California, and Northern New Mexico. It prefers sandy and gravelly soils. In Washington it is found along the eastern slopes of the Cascades from North to South.
Wingnut Cryptantha
The tiny white flowers each have five rounded lobes. The flowers produce four nutlets, most of them winged. The foliage is green and mostly covered with bristles.
The plant grows up to 16 inches tall.
These pictures were taken at the Vantage Overlook along Interstate 90.
The Showy Phlox (Phlox speciosa Pursh) is found in Western North America from British Columbia to Northern Mexico. It is absent from Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. In Washington State, it is found east of the Cascades in sagebrush, short bunchgrass, and open Ponderosa pine communities.
Showy Phlox Phlox speciosa Pursh
It is an erect perennial herb that grows up to 16 inches tall. The leaves are opposite on the stems and are linear to lance-shaped. The flower throats are 5/8 inch long, and the corolla has five petals each with double-notched lobes.
Showy Phlox Phlox speciosa Pursh Growing through sagebrush.
There are six recognized varieties of Showy Phlox, four of which are found in Washington.
It was named by the German-American botanist Frederick Traugott Pursh in 1813.
The name speciosa is is Latin for showy.
These photos were taken at the Vantage Overlook along Interstate 90.
