Washington Native Plant Society: Starflower Image Herbarium

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

Streptopus amplexifolius

Clasping Twisted Stalk

At a Glance: Perennial herb with a branched zigzagging stem and dangling white flowers.

Height: 3 feet (1 meter).
Growth Form: Herb.
Stems: Repeatedly branched, glabrous to densely hairy.
Leaves: Alternate; glaucous beneath; inconspicuous irregularly spaced teeth sometimes on margin; leaves clasp stem at base, veins are not obvious; shape: oval to lance-shaped and pointed; size: 5-14 cm long; color: green.
Flowers: Flowers hang on thin, twisted stalks; 1-2 from each leaf axil along stem; primary color: greenish-white; size: 1-2 cm; shape: bell shaped with flaring tips.
Flowering Period: April, May, June.
Fruits: Oval-oblong, yellow, orange, or red berries to 1 cm long; many seeded, seeds 3 mm long and grooved.


Photo © Ben Legler

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:	low elevation mid elevation sub-alpine high elevation

Soil Preferences
(data not available)

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	Other Wildlife: The Quileute believed the berries were eaten by garter and water snakes.

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

Material Uses: Whole plants and roots were used by the Nlakapamux and Secwepemc as a scent, tying them to the body, clothes or hair. Lower Stlatlimx fishing nets were boiled in a solution of S. amplexifolius to improve fish catch.
Medicinal Uses: The Haida used the stem as a poultice for cuts. Makah women chewed and ingested the root to induce labor in difficult births.
Food Uses: Some Alaska peoples ate the young shoots (they learned this from Europeans).
Toxicity: Poisonous plant and berries, young shoots are edible..

Name Info: Streptopus is from Greek - steptos means twisted and podus means foot; amplexifolius is from Latin - amplexor means to surround and folius means leaf

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 201.
Gunther, E. 1973. 2nd ed. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press. Page 25.
Hickman, J.C., ed. 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press. Page 1204.
Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist. 1973. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 693.
Jacobson A.L. 2001. Wild Plants of Greater Seattle. Published by author. Page 330.
Kruckeberg, A.R. 1996. 2nd ed. Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 146.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 101.
Turner, N.AJ. 1975. Food Plants of British Columbia Indians: part 1, Coastal Peoples. British Columbia Provincial Museum. Page 206.

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