Native Plant List – Western Oregon and Western Washington
This is a "starter" list of native plants for Western Oregon and Western Washington. It is intended for residential or commercial landscapers who want to create attractive and varied native landscapes.
Western Oregon and Western Washington Trees
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sun | Moisture | Height | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vine Maple | Acer circinatum | F-S | A-W | 25' | Attractive fall colors. Shade, ornmntl, undrstry. |
| Big Leaf Maple | Acer macrophyllum | F-P | A | 30-100' | Yellow fall color. Excellent shade. |
| Alder (Red) | Alnus rubra | F | W | 40-100' | Good along streams for erosion control, shade. |
| Pacific Madrone | Arbutus menziesii | F | A | 40-80' | Reddish bark, shiny leaves, white flowers. |
| Paper Birch | Betula papyrifera | F-S | A | 80' | Peeling white bark. Yellow fall color. |
| Black Hawthorne | C. douglasii | F | W | 20-30' | Low-growing. Berries for birds. Erosion control. |
| Pacific Dogwood | Cornus nuttallii | F-P | A | 30-50' | White flowers, pink-red berries. |
| Oregon Ash | Fraxinus latifolia | F | W | 40-75' | Gray/brown bark, olive green leaves. |
| Crab Apple | Malus spp. | F-P | A-W | 15-35' | Small green to red fruit, yellow/red fall color. |
| Indian Plum | Oemleria cerasiformis | F-P | D-A | 16' | Blooms Jan, Feb. White flowers, purple plums. |
| Aspen (Quaking) | Populus tremuloides | F | A-W | 40-80' | Food source for deer & other mammals. |
| Black Cottonwood | Populus trichocarpa | F | W | 70-100' | Nesting for large birds. Fast-growing. |
| Bitter Cherry | Prunus emarginata | F-P | A | 20-60' | White flowers, conspicuous red seeds. |
| Oregon White Oak | Quercus garryana | F | D-A | 30-100' | Only native OR oak. Wide spreading branches. |
| Cascara | Rhamnus purshiana | F-P | A | 30' | Silver grey bark. Berries attract birds. |
| Pacific Willow | Salix lasiandra | F | W | 20' | Yellow bark, good along streams and ponds. |
| Grand Fir | A. grandis | F-P | D-A | 100-200' | Tall, straight, stately, gray-brown bark. |
| Noble Fir | A. procera | F | Symmetrical, conical, smooth. Good Xmas tree. | ||
| Sitka Spruce | Picea sitchensis | 100-150' | |||
| Ponderosa Pine | Pinus ponderosa | F | D-W | 60-130' | Scaled, colored bark. Vanilla fragrance. |
| Douglas Fir | Pseudotsuga menzies | F | D-W | 75-200' | OR state tree. Can live over 1000 years. |
| Giant Sequoia | Sequoiadendron giganteum | F | A | 200 | Gray-green foliage and reddish brown bark. |
| Western Redcedar | Thuga plicata | P | A-W | 100-175' | Great for wildlife cover, restoration, ornamental. |
| Western Hemlock | Tsuga hereophylla | F-P | D-A | 125-200' | Tall, straight, stately, gray-brown bark. |
Western Oregon and Western Washington Shrubs
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sun | Moisture | Height | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vine Maple | Acer circinatum | 5-35' | Red fruit attracts birds. Imprtnt browse for deer. | ||
| Serviceberry | Amelanchier alnifolia | F | A | 4-15' | |
| Hairy Manzanita | Arctostaphylos columbiana | 10-15' | Dark green leaves, red edible berries. | ||
| Kinnikinnick | Arctostaphylos uva-ursi | F-P | A | 12" | |
| Tall Oregon Grape | Berberis aquifolium | 8-10' | |||
| Snowbrush | Ceanothus velutinus | 9' | Red stem, white flowers, white berries. | ||
| Red-osier dogwood | Cornus stolonifera | F-S | W | 15' | |
| Western Hazelnut | Corylus cornuta var. cal. | 5-12' | Lustrous leaves. Spreads where other shrbs fail. | ||
| Salal | Gaultheria shallon | F-S | A | 6' | Creamy white flowers. Riparian restoration. |
| Ocean Spray | Holodiscus discolor | P-S | D-W | 3-20' | |
| Western Honeysuckle | Lonicera ciliosa | vine | |||
| Twinberry | Lonicera invlucrata | 4-8' | Holly-like leaves, dark blue edible berries. | ||
| Creeping Oregon Grape | Mahonia nervosa | F-S | D-W | 12" | |
| Indian Plum | Osmaronia cerasiformis | 15-20' | Aromatic white flowers attract bees & butterflies. | ||
| Mock Orange | Philadelphus lewisii | F-P | D-A | 4-10' | Clusters of white flowers, maple-like leaves. |
| Pacific Ninebark | Physocarpus capitatus | F-S | W | 10' | |
| Bald-hip rose | R. gymnocarpa | F | D | 5 ' | Large, pink flowers. Attracts birds, mammals. |
| Wood rose | R. woodsii | 1-8' | |||
| Cascara buckthorn | Rhamnus purshiana | 1-8' | Beautiful. Attracts butterflies, hummingbirds. | ||
| Red Flowering Currant | Ribes sanguineum | F-P | A | 10-35' | |
| Nootka rose | Rosa nutkana | 8-10' | Forms dense thickets. Yellow/red edible fruits. | ||
| Salmonberry | Rubus spectabilis | F-P | A-W | 12' | Fast-growing. White flowers, red berries. |
| Red Elderberry | S. racemosa | F-S | A | 1-8' | Leggy. Pink/purple flowers in July. Ornamental. |
| Western Spirea | Spiraea douglasii | F-P | A-W | 3-6' | Attractive foliage. Waxy berries through winter. |
| Vine Maple | Symphoricarpos spp. | F-P | D-W | 8-20' | |
| Serviceberry | Vaccinium membranaceum | F | A | 2-6' | |
| Hairy Manzanita | Vaccinium ovatum | 4' | |||
| Kinnikinnick | Vaccinium parvifolium | F-P | A | 2-8' |
Western Oregon and Western Washington Perennials - Sun
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sun | Moisture | Height | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Columbine | Aquilegia formosa | F-P | A-W | to 3' | Soft foliage, drooping red to yellow flowers. |
| Shooting Star | Dodecatheon hendersonii | F | A-W | Magenta to lavender flowers on singular stalk. | |
| White Fawn Lily | Erythronioum oregonum | F-S | A | Lance-shaped leaves, white nodding flower. | |
| Tiger Lily | Lilium columbianum | F | Bright orange flowers with red or purple spots. | ||
| Big Leaf Lupine | Lupinus polyphyllus | F | A-W | 3-4' | Nitrogen fixer. Blue to violet pea-like flowers. |
| Oregon Stonecrop | Sedum oregonum | F-P | A-W | Yellow to pink flowers. Good for rock gardens. | |
| Yellow-Eyed Grass | Sysyrinchium californicum | F-P | W | Yellow flowers on short stalks. Spreads easily. |
Western Oregon and Western Washington Perennials - Shade
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sun | Moisture | Height | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarf Dogwood | Cornus canadensis | S | W | Low, trailing. White flwrs, red berry-like drupes. | |
| Bleeding Heart | Decentra formosa | S | W | 1-2' | Fern-like. Pink/purple heart-shaped flowers. |
| Early Blue Violet | Viola adunca | S | W | to 4" | Heart-shaped leaves, yellow flwrs, purple lines. |
| Sun Exposure | Soil Moisture | Drought Tolerance |
|---|---|---|
| F = Full Sun | W = Wet | E = Excellent |
| P = Part Sun | A = Average | G = Good |
| S = Shade | D = Dry | M = Moderate |
| P = Poor |
