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Physocarpus capitatus

Pacific Ninebark

At a Glance: Erect to spreading shrub up to 4 meters tall with clusters of white flowers.

Height: Up to 13 feet (4 meters).
Growth Form: Shrub.
Stems: Brown shredding peeling bark.
Leaves: Alternate, deciduous, 3-6 cm (1-2.5 in) long, 3-5 lobed, the lobes toothed, deeply veined, shiny dark-green above, lighter and with abundant star-shaped hairs below (use hand lens); color: dark green.
Flowers: White, small, 5 petals, about 30 pink stamens; several to many in terminal, rounded clusters; size: 4 mm long.
Flowering Period: May, June.
Fruits: Reddish bunches of dried inflated follicles to 1 cm long, with yellowish, shiny seeds inside.


Photo © 2003, Starflower Foundation

Sun/Shade Tolerance	Hydrology	Elevation Range
full sun > 80% mostly sunny 60%-80% partial sun and shade 40%- 60% mostly shady 60%-80% full shade > 80%	wet moist dry Wetland Indicator Status: FACW (facultative wetland)	low elevation mid elevation sub-alpine high elevation

Soil Preferences
sandy soils gravelly soils clay soils muddy soils peaty soils	well drained soils shallow soils deep soils acidic soils basic soils	humic soils nutrient rich soils nutrient poor soils mineral soils organic soils

Habitat Preferences
Aquatic and Wetland: Ponds or lakes Shallow pools Sloughs Swales or wet ditches Seasonally inundated areas Marshes or swamps Aquatic bed wetlands Emergent wetlands Scrub-shrub wetlands Forested wetlands Bogs, fens Seeps, springs Shorelines and Riparian: Lake shores Bog margins Streams or rivers Stream or river banks Riparian corridors River bars Floodplains Bottomlands Alluvial areas	Saltwater Areas: In or near saltwater Mud flats Tidal areas Estuaries Saltmarshes Brackish water Seashores Coastal dunes or beaches Rocky or Gravelly Areas: Coastal bluffs Cliffs Rocky slopes Outcrops Crevices Glacial outwash Gullies Slide areas Sub-alpine and Alpine: Heaths Snow beds Tundra Avalanche tracks	Forests and Thickets: Forests and woods Open forests Coniferous forests Old growth forests Deciduous forests Mixed forests Nurse logs Forest edges, openings, or clearings Thickets Meadows and Fields: Pastures or fields Meadows or grassy areas Mossy areas Disturbed Areas: Roadsides Trailsides Logged sites Burned areas Disturbed sites

Wildlife Value
Berries Seeds Nectar for hummingbirds Nectar for butterflies Host for insect larvae Thickets and shelter Thorny or protective cover	Birds: Fruits eaten by birds. Mammals: Twigs, buds and foliage are browsed by herbivores.

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

Material Uses: The Nuu-chah-nulth made childrens bows and other small items from the wood. The Cowichan recently made knitting needles from it.
Medicinal Uses: The Nuxalk, Coast Salish and Kwakwakawakw used a tea made from a stick with the outer bark peeled off as an emetic or purgative. It was also used as a laxative. The Nuxalk used medicinal preparations from ninebark for gonorrhea and scrofulous sores on the neck.
Toxicity: Bark toxic.

Landscape Uses: Excellent soil-binding properties. Good yellow fall color.
Name Info: The species is called ninebark because it was believed to have nine layers of shreddy bark on the stem. Greek physa (bellows or bladder) and carpos (fruit) is used to describe the inflated follicles. Capitatus is Latin for head describing the round flower clusters.

Suggested References

Cooke, S.S. A Field Guide to the Common Wetland Plants of Western Washington and Northwetern Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society and Washington Native Plant Society. Page 36.
Guard, B.J. 1995. Wetland Plants of Oregon & Washington. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 211.
Gunther, E. 1973. 2nd ed. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press. Page 33.
Hickman, J.C., ed. 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press. Page 964.
Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist. 1973. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 215.
Jacobson A.L. 2001. Wild Plants of Greater Seattle. Published by author. Page 104.
Link, R. 1999. Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 258.
Lyons, C., W. Merilees. Trees and Shrubs to Know in Washington and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 146.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 73.
Turner, N.AJ. 1975. Food Plants of British Columbia Indians: part 1, Coastal Peoples. British Columbia Provincial Museum. Page 218.

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