Washington Native Plant Society: Starflower Image Herbarium

Home > Landscaping > Native Plants for Western Washington Gardens and Restoration Projects

Native Plants for Mid Elevations

	*Abies amabilis* Pacific Silver Fir An attractive conifer with short dark green needles. Tolerant of shade.
	*Abies grandis* Grand Fir Abies grandis is a tall, straight tree with short, dense branches.
	*Acer circinatum* Vine Maple Tall, erect, multi-trunked shrub or small tree with sprawling branches. Height: Found at elevations below 760 meters.
	*Acer macrophyllum* Big-leaf Maple A tree with a large, often multi-stemmed trunk and a loose, broad crown of large leaves. Height: Found mostly west of the Cascades below 300 meters (Kruckeberg).
	*Achillea millefolium* Yarrow Aromatic herb with delicate fern-like leaves and flat-topped clusters of white flowers. Height: Found at nearly all elevations but most common at lower elevations.
	*Achlys triphylla* Vanilla Leaf Grows low to the ground, spreading by rhizomes to form dense ground cover in shady areas. Height: Sea level to 1500 meters.
	*Adiantum aleuticum* Maidenhair Fern This delicate, deciduous fern has five to seven fingerlike branchlets each bearing many toothed leaflets.
	*Allium cernuum* Nodding Onion Clusters of long grass-like leaves overtopped by nodding umbels of pink flowers.
	*Amelanchier alnifolia* Serviceberry, Saskatoon Medium-sized shrub producing fragrant white flowers in late spring.
	*Anaphalis margaritacea* Pearly Everlasting Clump forming, perennial herb with small withering basal leaves and papery white flower clusters.
	*Aquilegia formosa* Red Columbine Delicate perennial with large nodding, star-shaped, spurred flowers that are a favorite of hummingbirds.
	*Arbutus menziesii* Madrone An attractive broadleaf evergreen with a twisting reddish trunk and irregular branches with an overall rounded outline.
	*Arctostaphylos uva-ursi* Kinnikinnick, Bearberry A mat-forming evergreen shrub producing lovely pink flowers that later turn into red berries.
	*Aruncus dioicus* Goat's Beard Tall perennial herb topped with large feathery clusters of white flowers, grows from rhizomes and has multiple stems.
	*Asarum caudatum* Wild Ginger Low-growing evergreen perennial that smells strongly of lemon-ginger when crushed.
	*Aster chilensis* Common California Aster A slender, sprawling perennial that produces light purple flowers.
	*Aster modestus* Great Northern Aster A tall, much-branched perennial with numerous heads of purplish flowers.
	*Aster subspicatus* Douglas Aster Rhizomatous perennial wildflower with much-branched stems and light purple aster-like flower heads.
	*Athyrium filix-femina* Lady Fern Tall, delicate, light-green fronds from a basal cluster. Height: All elevations except alpine.
	*Betula glandulosa* Bog Birch Spreading, small-branched perennial shrub of bogs and wet areas.
	*Betula papyrifera* Paper Birch A small to medium sized deciduous tree with attractive white, peeling papery bark.
	*Blechnum spicant* Deer Fern Dark green fern leaves grow in tufts from short, stout rhizomes.
	*Boykinia occidentalis* Slender Boykinia A slender herb with open panicles of small white flowers.
	*Brodiaea hyacinthina* Fool's Onion, White Brodiaea Onion-like plant from an underground corm, with large clusters of white flowers at tip of stems. Height: 0-2000 m; prefers uplands, but wet prairies also.
	*Caltha biflora* Marsh Marigold Perennial herb with large white flowers held above broadly rounded leaves; grows in wet subalpine meadows. Height: 900-3300 meters elevation.
	*Camassia leitchlinii* Great Camas Stately perennial from a deep bulb, producing spikes of large blue flowers in early spring.
	*Camassia quamash* Common Camas Bulbous perennial producing a spike of large blue flowers.
	*Campanula rotundifolia* Harebell Delicate stems topped by large, nodding bell-shaped blue flowers.
	*Carex cusickii* Cusick's Sedge A woodland sedge with grass-like leaves and small clusters of tiny greenish flowers.
	*Carex obnupta* Slough Sedge Large grass-like plant creating thick patches in coastal wetlands.
	*Castilleja miniata* Red Paintbrush An attractive wildflower with red brush-like flower clusters. Height: Can be found from low to high elevations, but most common in the subalpine.
	*Ceanothus velutinus* Snowbrush A tall shrub with glossy leaves and clusters of white flowers.
	*Cerastium arvense* Field Chickweed
	*Claytonia perfoliata* Miner's Lettuce Low-growing, mat-like herbaceous annual with succulent round leaves.
	*Claytonia sibirica* Siberian Spring Beauty Low-growing delicate herb.
	*Cornus stolonifera* Red-osier Dogwood Spreading, thicket-forming shrub with bright red stems.
	*Cornus unalaschkensis* Bunchberry Low, trailing, rhizomatous perennial with white flowers. Height: 0-1500 meters.
	*Corylus cornuta* Beaked Hazelnut Slender, multi-trunked deciduous shrub. Height: Below 2100 meters.
	*Crataegus douglasii* black hawthorn large shrub or small tree with clusters of white flowers and dark purplish-black berries.
	*Deschampsia cespitosa* Tufted Hairgrass Densely tufted perennial grass. Height: Common at all elevations.
	*Dicentra formosa* Bleeding Heart Hairless, soft stems and light green lacy leaves overtopped by small nodding clusters of pink heart-shaped flowers.
	*Dryopteris expansa* Spiny Wood Fern A semi-evergreen fern of woodland areas with triangular fronds from a stout rhizome.
	*Eleocharis palustris* Creeping Spikerush A wetland plant with leafless, grass-like stems topped by small brownish spikes of flowers.
	*Elymus glaucus* Blue Wild-rye Tufted perennial grass usually forming small clumps, 0.5 to 1.5 m tall. Height: Below 2500 meters.
	*Epilobium angustifolium* Fireweed Tall perennial from rhizome like roots with unbranched stem and terminal spikes of large red to pink flowers.
	*Epilobium brachycarpum* Tall Annual Willowherb Taprooted annual of dry, gravelly or disturbed sites.
	*Epilobium watsonii* Watson's Willowherb Erect herbaceous perennial with opposite leaves.
	*Equisetum arvense* Field Horsetail Succulent, hollow, jointed stems with whorls of branches. Height: Below 3000 meters.
	*Equisetum telmatiea* Giant Horsetail More robust and larger than common horsetail. Sheaths around its sterile stems have 14-18 teeth. Height: Below 1000 meters.
	*Erigeron philadelphicus* Philadelphia Fleabane Short-lived perennial with erect stem-base and taproot or fibrous roots.
	*Eriophorum chamissonis* Chamisso's Cotton-grass Extensive beds growing from spreading rhizomes or stolons with tufts of cotton-like seed heads.
	*Eriophyllum lanatum* Woolly Sunflower Wooly leafy perennial with yellow daisy-like flowers.
	*Festuca rubra* Red Fescue Perennial grass with thread-like leaves forming small patches. Height: Below 2500 meters.
	*Fragaria vesca* Woodland strawberry A wild strawberry with thin leaves, low, short runners, white flowers, and small red strawberries.
	*Fragaria virginiana* Wild strawberry Low growing wild strawberry with runners, white flowers, and small red strawberries.
	*Fritillaria lanceolata* Chocolate Lily, Rice Root Rare herb to 80 cm tall from bulb with numerous rice-like bulblets; flowers are mottled maroon and yellow. Height: From sea level to nearly sub-alpine.
	*Galium aparine* Cleavers, Bedstraw
	*Galium trifidum* Small Bedstraw Sprawling perennial with numerous stems from slender rhizomes. Height: Common from low to fairly high elevations.
	*Gaultheria shallon* Salal Creeping to erect shrub with hairy branching stems and dark leathery leaves.
	*Geum macrophyllum* Large-leaved Avens Hairy perennial with short rhizomes and big leaves topped by small yellow flowers.
	*Gilia capitata* Globe Gilia Upright taprooted annual with large ball-like heads of blue flowers.
	*Glyceria elata* Tall Mannagrass, Fowl Mannagrass Tall wetland grass.
	*Glyceria grandis* Reed Mannagrass very similar to G. elata
	*Goodyera oblongifolia* Rattlesnake Plantain Evergreen orchid from short rhizomes with an unusual mottled leaf pattern.
	*Gymnocarpium dryopteris* Oak Fern Delicate, deciduous fronds. Usually solitary, but often forms a mat of herbaceous cover in forests. Height: Mostly found at mid-elevations.
	*Heuchera micrantha* Small-flowered Alumroot Grows from rhizomes with one to many flower stems that are reddish and covered with fine hairs and topped with delicate panicles of tiny white flowers.
	*Holodiscus discolor* Oceanspray Multi-stemmed upright shrub with ridged young stems and arching older stems with peeling bark. White flowers.
	*Hordeum brachyantherum* Meadow Barley Grass with erect stems that are bent at the base and sometimes hairy on the leaf sheaths.
	*Hydrophyllum tenuipes* Pacific Waterleaf Single leafy, hairy stem grows from rhizomes and fleshy fibrous roots; with small clusters of greenish-white flowers.
	*Iris tenax* Oregon Iris Clumped, perennial iris with large purple flowers.
	*Juncus acuminatus* Tapertip Rush Tufted perennial grass-like plant.
	*Juncus ensifolius* Daggerleaf Rush
	*Kalmia microphylla ssp. occidentalis* Bog Laurel Small, slender-branched shrub with dark green waxy leaves and clusters of bright pink flowers.
	*Larix occidentalis* Western Larch Height: Frequent along the east side of the Cascade Mountains.
	*Ledum groenlandicum* Labrador Tea Evergreen, branching shrub with rusty-hairy leaf undersides and white flowers.
	*Lilium columbianum* Tiger Lily
	*Linnaea borealis* Twinflower Trailing, slender, semi-woody, with short erect leafy stems and dainty bell-shaped flowers.
	*Lithophragma parviflorum* Small-flowered Woodland Star Delicate herb from slender rhizomes with numerous small bulblets; white star-shaped flowers.
	*Lonicera ciliosa* Orange Honeysuckle Climbing vine with clusters of tubular bright orange flowers.
	*Lonicera hispidula* Hairy Honeysuckle Clamboring vine with clusters of light purple tubular flowers.
	*Lonicera involucrata* Twinberry Tall shrub with opposite leaves and pairs of small yellow flowers in leaf axils.
	*Lupinus polyphyllus* Large-leaved Lupine A large perennial native forb with spikes of blue flowers from one to many hairy stems.
	*Lysichiton americanum* Skunk Cabbage A wetland plant with very large waxy erect leaves and yellow flower spikes enclosed in a large yellow sheath. Height: Sea level to 1300 meters.
	*Mahonia aquifolium* Tall Oregon Grape Erect, stiff-branched shrub with holly-like leaves and clusters of yellow flowers. Height: Below 1200 meters elevation.
	*Mahonia nervosa* Dull Oregon Grape Low-growing creeping shrub with dark green holly-like leaves and slender spikes of yellow flowers.
	*Maianthemum dilatatum* False Lily-of-the-Valley Quickly spreading ground cover with attractive glossy green leaves.
	*Malus fusca* Pacific Crabapple Small tree, slender in form, appears thorny; bushy in the open. Height: Up to 2500 ft in Cascades.
	*Mentha arvensis* Field Mint A wild mint with small groups of light purple flowers in the leaf axils.
	*Menyanthes trifoliata* Buckbean White, curly-haired flowers and large trifoliate leaves decorate this patch-forming plant found in shallow water.
	*Mimulus guttatus* Yellow Monkey-flower Large yellow tubular flowers top this deciduous-leaved wetland perennial.
	*Myrica gale* Sweet Gale
	*Nothochelone nemorosa* Woodland Penstemon
	*Nuphar luteum ssp. polysepalum* Yellow Pond-Lily An aquatic water lily with large, round, floating leaves and fleshy, yellow flowers held at the water surface.
	*Oenanthe sarmentosa* Pacific Water Parsley Semi-aquatic, often reclining or scrambling herb, with stem tips ascending or curled and small flat-topped clusters of white flowers.
	*Olsynium douglasii* Satin Flower, Grass Widow Showy tufted perennial resembling a miniature iris topped with large pink to purple flowers.
	*Oplopanax horridus* Devil's Club An erect to sprawling shrub with thick, spiny, crooked stems and very large leaves.
	*Oxalis oregana* Wood Sorrel A delicate herb with clover-like leaves and white to pink flowers, forming carpets in forested areas.
	*Penstemon fruticosus* Lowbush Penstemon Spreading shrub with numerous tubular purple flowers.
	*Penstemon serrulatus* Coast Penstemon Perennial, sprawling sub-shrub from a woody stem base, with large purple tubular flowers at stem tips.
	*Petasites palmatus* Palmate Coltsfoot Many-stemmed perennial with umbrella-like leaves from creeping rhizomes.
	*Philadelphus lewisii* Mock Orange Erect, loosely branched shrub with large fragrant white flowers.
	*Phlox diffusa* Spreading Phlox Mat forming perennial with showy white to pink flowers.
	*Physocarpus capitatus* Pacific Ninebark Erect to spreading shrub up to 4 meters tall with clusters of white flowers.
	*Picea sitchensis* Sitka spruce Large tree with horizontal branches and drooping branchlets
	*Pinus contorta* Shore Pine Short pine tree, often with crooked trunk and bushy habit.
	*Platanthera dilatata* White Rein-Orchid, Bog Candle Perennial orchid with spikes of white flowers from tuber-like roots.
	*Polemonium pulcherrimum* Showy Jacob's-ladder Taprooted perennial with mostly basal leaves and blue bell-shaped flowers.
	*Polystichum munitum* Sword Fern A large attractive fern with erect evergreen fronds forming a circular crown.
	*Populus balsamifera* Black Cottonwood
	*Populus tremuloides* Quaking Aspen Deciduous thicket-forming tree with smooth white bark and leaves that "quake" in the wind.
	*Potentilla anserina ssp. pacifica* Silverweed Low growing hairy herb with runners and solitary yellow flowers.
	*Potentilla gracilis* Graceful Cinquefoil Light green herb with toothed palmate leaves and diffuse panicles of yellow, saucer-shaped flowers.
	*Potentilla palustris* Marsh Cinquefoil Perennial from long, creeping, often floating, somewhat woody rhizomes, with small maroon flowers.
	*Prunella vulgaris ssp. lanceolata* Self Heal Fibrous-rooted perennial from short rhizome or stem-base with small purple flowers.
	*Prunus emarginata var. mollis* Bitter Cherry Shrub or small tree with white flowers and small red cherries.
	*Pseudotsuga menziesii* Douglas fir Large coniferous tree with thick, fluted bark.
	*Pteridium aquilinum* Bracken Fern Rhizomous perennial fern with large, much-divided solitary fronds,
	*Pyrola asarifolia* Pink Wintergreen A small woodland herb with a basal clump of glossy green leaves and slender spikes of pink flowers.
	*Ranunculus occidentalis* Western Buttercup Slender perennial herb with fibrous roots and yellow flowers.
	*Rhamnus purshiana* Cascara Erect, tall shrub or small tree with alternate leaves and inconspicuous flower clusters.
	*Rhododendron macrophyllum* Pacific Rhododendron Showy shrub that can grow very large, with clusters of large pink flowers.
	*Ribes lacustre* Black Gooseberry Erect to spreading shrub with spiny stems.
	*Ribes sanguineum* Red Flowering Currant Erect, multi-stemmed shrub with showy clusters of deep pink flowers in early spring.
	*Rorippa curvisiliqua* Curvepod Yellowcress
	*Rorippa palustris* Bog Yellowcress
	*Rosa gymnocarpa* Baldhip Rose Spindly shrub with brittle weak straight spines and small pink rose flowers.
	*Rosa nutkana* Nootka Rose Spindly shrub with a pair of prickles at the base of each leaf and large pink rose flowers.
	*Rosa pisocarpa* Swamp Rose Thicket forming shrub with spiny stems and clusters of pink rose flowers.
	*Rubus parviflorus* Thimbleberry Unarmed spreading shrub with large white flowers. Usually forms dense thickets.
	*Rubus spectabilis* Salmonberry Erect and branching shrub with early spring pink flowers and reddish-orange raspberry-like fruits.
	*Rubus ursinus* Trailing Blackberry Trailing prickly vine producing small blackberries in late summer.
	*Salix lucida* Pacific Willow
	*Salix sitchensis* Sitka Willow
	*Sambucus racemosa* Red Elderberry Shrub to small tree with clusters of small white flowers and red berries.
	*Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani* Softstem Bulrush
	*Scirpus maritimus* Seacoast Bulrush
	*Scirpus microcarpus* Small-flowered Bulrush
	*Sedum lanceolatum* Lance-leaved Stonecrop
	*Sedum oreganum* Oregon Stonecrop
	*Sisyrinchium idahoense* Blue-eyed Grass A small clump-forming iris-like plant with small blue flowers.
	*Sium suave* Water-parsnip
	*Smilacina racemosa* False Solomon's Seal
	*Smilacina stellata* Starflowered False Solomon's Seal
	*Solidago canadensis* Canada Goldenrod Forms patches from long creeping rhizomes. Stems leafy and hairy near the top, with a dense cluster of small yellow flowers.
	*Sorbus sitchensis* Sitka-Mountain Ash
	*Sparganium angustifolium* Narrowleaf Bur-reed
	*Sparganium eurycarpum* Broadfruit Bur-reed
	*Spiraea densiflora* Subalpine Spirea Low mound-forming shrub with rounded clusters of intense pink tiny flowers.
	*Spiraea douglasii* Douglas' Spirea
	*Streptopus amplexifolius* Clasping Twisted Stalk Perennial herb with a branched zigzagging stem and dangling white flowers.
	*Symphoricarpos albus* Snowberry Erect shrub with attractive white berries that persist through the winter.
	*Taxus brevifolia* Western Yew Low-growing conifer with deep red-brown bark, flattened sprays of needles, and red berry-like cones.
	*Tellima grandiflora* Fringecup
	*Thuja plicata* Western Red Cedar Large conifer with branches that droop and then turn back up (J-shaped), broad crowns. Height: Sea level to 1250 meters.
	*Tiarella trifoliata* Foamflower Herb with erect or ascending stems and spikes of dainty white flowers.
	*Tolmiea menziesii* Piggy-back Plant A woodland herb whose leaves give rise to small plantlets.
	*Trientalis latifolia* Broad-leaved Starflower A small delicate herb with a single whorl of leaves topped by several small, pink, star-shaped flowers.
	*Trillium ovatum* Western Trillium Short stout stems topped with a whorl of three leaves and a single large white flower. Height: Sea level to 1200 meters.
	*Tsuga heterophylla* Western hemlock
	*Typha latifolia* Broad-leaved Cattail A tall wetland plant with long, erect sword-like leaves and dense brown flower spikes.
	*Urtica dioica* Stinging Nettle Tall perennial herb with deciduous leaves covered in stinging hairs.
	*Vaccinium oxycoccus* Bog Cranberry Creeping perennial of peat bogs, producing pink flowers and dark red cranberries.
	*Vaccinium parvifolium* Red Huckleberry Delicately branched shrub with small red huckleberries, suitable for shady areas on decaying wood.
	*Vancouveria hexandra* Inside-out Flower Rhizomatous perennial with small white flowers and delicate leaves.
	*Viburnum edule* High Bush Cranberry Shrub with bright red berries and brilliant fall foliage.
	*Viola adunca* Early-blue Violet A blue flowered violet that grows from slender rhizomes and is stemless in the early season, later grow upright stem.
	*Viola glabella* Yellow Wood Violet An attractive yellow-flowered violet of moist open woodlands.
	*Viola sempervirens* Evergreen Violet A creeping violet with evergreen leaves and yellow flowers.
	*Xerophyllum tenax* Beargrass Forms a tall grass-like clump of tough leaves topped by a large dense cluster of white flowers.

The landscaping and restoration information provided on this page is taken from Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.