Category Archives: Flora

Oregon Grape (Berberis aquifolium)

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Neither a grape or a holly be…
This evergreen is not a tree. 
The spike and point to clusters yellow,
Makes the fruit a favorite fellow.

Oregon grape became our State Flower in 1899. Choosing a favorite from so many beauties must have been difficult.

Oregon Grape flower and leaves (image courtesy of Oregon State University, Landscape)

State flowers provide a way to showcase abundance, beauty, historical significance, feelings, and economic prowess. Oregon grape was chosen to represent beauty and abundance.

Why Oregon Grape?

The common plant name suggests that this plant is a grape. It is not.

Oregon Grape is a woody evergreen shrub under the Berberis Barberry family. Barberry shrubs are common in many Pacific Northwest landscapes.

Where Found?

Oregon Grape grows in Southeast Alaska, east into Alberta, Canada, and south into central New Mexico. It often grows in Douglas-fir forests common in the Pacific Northwest.

Clusters of bright yellow flowers makes this plant easy to identify in the early spring. In the fall, the plant produces a crop of small, purple-ish-black grape-shaped fruit. The fruit is bitter, but edible.

Oregon Grape flower close up (image courtesy of Oregon State University, Landscape)

Not a Holly

The dark green, glossy holly-like leaflets have sharp spines and can reach 12-inches in length.

It is not closely related to a holly. Like a holly, this plant will tolerate poor soils, resist summer drought, and create minimal leaf litter. It rarely grows over four feet tall.

Shiny leaves are usually a sign that a plant will resist wilting making them attractive to florists. Depending on the variety (and there are several), the leaf color may shift in the fall to more of a purple-ish tint.

Who Loves Ya?

Birds love the berries, along with the bees and butterflies. Berries can be used to make juice, jelly, jam, and wine. Note: The berries are quite tart and have large seeds. Berries are best eaten after the first frost.

Indigenous people used the inner bark and roots to make yellow dye; berries make a purple.

Medical

Medicines for stomach ailments and fighting bacterial/fungal infections have been made from rhizomes. There is even documentation show it might help with psoriasis.

Other Uses

Oregon Grape is deer resistant. The sharp spiny leaves make formidable natural barriers.

The plant does not require regular fertilization. A bit of compost over the root zone will help it retain moisture and reduce weeds).

The Oregon Grape provided much utility for pioneering families and indigenous peoples in our area.

REFERENCE:
–World Atlas, What is the State Flower of Oregon? (https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-the-state-flower-of-oregon.html)
–Oregon State University, Landscape Plants (https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/mahonia-aquifolium)
–Web MD (https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-493/oregon-grape)  
–Wikipedia, Oregon Grape (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahonia_aquifolium and  Berberis_aquifolium)
–Britannica Encyclopedia, Oregon Grape (https://www.britannica.com/plant/Oregon-grape)
–Oregon Grape-Holly Care (https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/mahonia/grape-holly-plant-care.htm)

Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii)

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Siuslaw National Forest Drift Creek Wilderness

Locals and visitors alike marvel at the iconic image of the Douglas-fir. Did you know this tree provides for much more than good pictures?

This tree is highly revered, not only for its beauty, but usefulness. It has  played an important role in the history of Oregon, as well as the United States. Impress your next visitors by sharing new knowledge about this interesting species.

Naming

Scottish physician Archibald Menzies first documented the tree on Vancouver Island in 1791. A rival botanist, David Douglas named the tree over 30 years later. 

David Douglas, a botanist who described the tree in 1825 was the first person able to grow this tree in England. 

Not a fir

The Douglas-fir is not what it seems and the scientific name gives a clue (Pseudo = false, tsuga = fir). It is not a fir, but an evergreen conifer that is part of the pine family.

This tree is very long lived and tall. It can reach 330 feet tall and have a life expectancy of 1,000 years. It grows taller and faster in the coastal rainforests where there is good drainage.

State Tree

More than a century later in 1939 the Douglas-fir was designated Oregon’s State tree in recognition of the significant role it has played in the state’s economic development.

Economics

In addition to being beloved by Oregonians, the Douglas-fir is well-known across the country. Today, Douglas-fir is the country’s top source of lumber and accounts for nearly half of the Christmas trees grown in the United States.

Utility

Douglas-fir was also extensively used by Native Americans for building, basketry, and medicinal purposes. The wood was used for railroad ties, and telephone and telegraph poles as the nation expanded west.

Keep an eye out for this important species next time you explore the Oregon Coast!

REFERENCES:
–Temperate Rainforest Facts, Douglas-fir (Temperate-rainforest-tree-facts.com
–Wikipedia, Douglas-fir (www.widipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_fir)

Black Cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa)

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What does it take to earn a regional and national title? The Black Cottonwood of Willamette Mission State Park could tell you.

Black Cottonwood’s are native to Oregon and can be found from Alaska through northern California, and eastward into Montana. Cottonwoods are typically very tall and large trees and are the largest popular species in the Americas.

Image courtesy Oregon State University Extension

Typically, they will grow up to 164 feet and have a trunk diameter over 6.6 feet. Our winner, the “Willamette Mission Cottonwood,” measures 155 feet (47.26 m) tall, 29 feet around (8.8 m), with a crown that stretches just over 93 feet.

Cottonwoods live relatively short-lived trees. Some will reach 400 years old.

As they age, the bark hardens becoming thick and fissured. By age 20, cottonwood bark has thickened enough to help protect the tree from fire. At this point, the bark is hard enough to cause sparks when cut by a chainsaw.

Seedlings and saplings can be killed or damaged by fire. Repeated fire can completely eliminate all Black Cottonwood from an area.

This tree is a natural colonizer and after a burn may be able to colonize large areas with good light, moist soil, and bare mineral soil from seed.

What makes this an important tree?

The light-colored hardwood has a fine, even texture with indistinct growth rings and a fine grain. The wood is light weight and ideal for making a number of products (such as pallets, boxes, crates, furniture, high-grade paper, fuel pellets, and plywood). 

Cottonwoods are frequently used for windbreaks, shelterbelts, and road screening. The aggressive root system makes it an effective soil stabilizer and useful in riparian and aquatic restoration projects.

Research is continuing on species hybrids as potential sources of biomass. They grow faster than any other northern temperate region tree and are easily propagated.

They are fast to re-sprout, and quick to harvest. Some sites have so much existing seed, they don’t need to be seeded after harvest.

(This raises the question of ‘Could these hybrids become a future noxious and invasive weed?’)

Even the critters like it

Black cottonwood provides cover and food for deer, elk, beaver, and birds. Even rotten trunks are useful in areas with scarce shelter.  

Black Cottonwood male flowers (image courtesy Oregon State University Extension)

But…

Many people are, unfortunately, negatively impacted by the copious amounts of tree pollen. Male trees release pollen in late May and June, about three weeks before the females release seed.

Trees create an abundance of seeds every year. Seed release resembles a serious snow storm.

Cotton-like hair is attached to each seed. This hair keeps seed afloat on air or water for long distances. The seed can sprout one day after touching the ground!

Seeds and cotton-like hair (image courtesy OSU Extension)

Native Americans discovered that the tree resin was good for treating sore throats, coughs, lung pain, and rheumatism, and that the inner bark good for creating soap.

And then…

Perhaps the most perplexing questions about this large tree is how one would go about measuring a giant one. I guess you just have to climb to the top, drop a very long tape measure, and hold on tight…  

REFERENCES
–Heritage Trees, Oregon (https://oregontic.com/oregon-heritage-trees/willamette-mission-cottonwood/)
–Oregon State University, Landscape Plants, Populus trichocarpa (https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/populus-trichocarpa)
–USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Plant Guide, Black cottonwood (Populus balsamifera L. ssp. trichocarpa (Torr. & Gray ex Hook.) Brayshaw (https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=POBAT)
–King5 “Is cottonwood fluff causing your allergies? (https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/take-5/take-5-is-cottonwood-fluff-causing-your-allergies/281-557522159)
–Monumental Trees, Exactly Measuring Tree Height (https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/content/measuringheight/)