Washington Native Plant Society: Starflower Image Herbarium

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Native Plants for Partly Sunny Areas

	*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. Height: 130-260 feet (40-80 meters).
	*Acer circinatum* Vine Maple Tall, erect, multi-trunked shrub or small tree with sprawling branches. Shade tolerant and commonly found in understories. Height: 13-26 feet (4-8 meters)
	*Achillea millefolium* Yarrow Aromatic herb with delicate fern-like leaves and flat-topped clusters of white flowers. Loves sun but is also tolerant of shade. Height: 4 inches to 3 feet (10-100 cm).
	*Adiantum aleuticum* Maidenhair Fern This delicate, deciduous fern has five to seven fingerlike branchlets each bearing many toothed leaflets. Prefers cool, shady sites. Height: 1-2 feet tall.
	*Amelanchier alnifolia* Serviceberry, Saskatoon Medium-sized shrub producing fragrant white flowers in late spring. Height: Up to 15 feet (4.5 meters).
	*Aquilegia formosa* Red Columbine Delicate perennial with large nodding, star-shaped, spurred flowers that are a favorite of hummingbirds. Height: Can grow up to 3 feet (1 meter) tall.
	*Aruncus dioicus* Goat's Beard Tall perennial herb topped with large feathery clusters of white flowers, grows from rhizomes and has multiple stems. Height: Can grow up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) tall.
	*Aster chilensis* Common California Aster A slender, sprawling perennial that produces light purple flowers. Height: Can grow up to 3 ft. (100 cm.)
	*Athyrium filix-femina* Lady Fern Tall, delicate, light-green fronds from a basal cluster. Height: Grows 3-6 feet (2 meters) tall.
	*Brodiaea congesta* Harvest Lily Long slender stems to 3 feet (1 meter) in length topped by a dense cluster of deep purple flowers. Height: Up to 3 feet (1 meter) tall.
	*Caltha biflora* Marsh Marigold Perennial herb with large white flowers held above broadly rounded leaves; grows in wet subalpine meadows. Height: 16 inches (40 cm).
	*Carex obnupta* Slough Sedge Large grass-like plant creating thick patches in coastal wetlands. Height: 1-5 feet (30-150 cm).
	*Claytonia perfoliata* Miner's Lettuce Low-growing, mat-like herbaceous annual with succulent round leaves. Prefers open to shady forest. Height: 12 inches (30 cm).
	*Cornus unalaschkensis* Bunchberry Low, trailing, rhizomatous perennial with white flowers. Height: Up to 10 inches (25 cm).
	*Corylus cornuta* Beaked Hazelnut Slender, multi-trunked deciduous shrub. Prefers shade. Height: 3 feet - 13 feet (1 meter - 4 meters).
	*Dodecatheon hendersonii* Henderson's Shooting Star Leafless stems topped with nodding star-shaped pink flowers. This is our only shooting star with oval leaves. Height: Up to 1.5 feet (50 cm).
	*Dryopteris expansa* Spiny Wood Fern A semi-evergreen fern of woodland areas with triangular fronds from a stout rhizome. Height: To 3 feet (1 meter) tall.
	*Epilobium watsonii* Watson's Willowherb Erect herbaceous perennial with opposite leaves. Height: Up to 5 feet (150 cm).
	*Equisetum arvense* Field Horsetail Succulent, hollow, jointed stems with whorls of branches. Height: 6-24 inches (15-60 cm).
	*Erythronium oregonum* White Fawn Lily Showy white lily from segmented corm. Height: Flower stem up to 1 feet (30 cm) tall.
	*Erythronium revolutum* Pink fawn lily Large nodding pink flowers grow from a thick and segmented corm. Height: Up to 14 inches (35 cm).
	*Festuca rubra* Red Fescue Perennial grass with thread-like leaves forming small patches. Height: Can grow up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) tall.
	*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: Up to 32 inches (80 cm).
	*Galium trifidum* Small Bedstraw Sprawling perennial with numerous stems from slender rhizomes. Height: up to 28 inches (70 cm).
	*Gaultheria shallon* Salal Creeping to erect shrub with hairy branching stems and dark leathery leaves. Versatile. Height: Up to 16 feet (5 meters) in exceptional cases but typically 3-7 feet (1-2 m) tall.
	*Geum macrophyllum* Large-leaved Avens Hairy perennial with short rhizomes and big leaves topped by small yellow flowers. Height: Up to 3 feet (1 meters).
	*Glyceria elata* Tall Mannagrass, Fowl Mannagrass Tall wetland grass. Height: Up to 5 feet (1.5 meters).
	*Glyceria grandis* Reed Mannagrass very similar to G. elata Height: up to 5 feet (1.5 meters)
	*Goodyera oblongifolia* Rattlesnake Plantain Evergreen orchid from short rhizomes with an unusual mottled leaf pattern. Height: Up to 1.5 feet (45 cm).
	*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. Height: Up to 2 feet (60 cm).
	*Iris tenax* Oregon Iris Clumped, perennial iris with large purple flowers. Height: Up to 16 inches (40 cm).
	*Kalmia microphylla ssp. occidentalis* Bog Laurel Small, slender-branched shrub with dark green waxy leaves and clusters of bright pink flowers. Height: Up to 3 feet (1 meter).
	*Ledum groenlandicum* Labrador Tea Evergreen, branching shrub with rusty-hairy leaf undersides and white flowers. Height: Up to 5 feet (1.5 meters).
	*Lilium columbianum* Tiger Lily
	*Linnaea borealis* Twinflower Trailing, slender, semi-woody, with short erect leafy stems and dainty bell-shaped flowers. Height: 4 inches (10 cm).
	*Lomatium utriculatum* Spring Gold Perennial herb with finely lacey foliage and flat-topped umbels of bright yellow flowers.
	*Lonicera ciliosa* Orange Honeysuckle Climbing vine with clusters of tubular bright orange flowers. Height: Typically up to 20 feet (6 meters).
	*Lonicera hispidula* Hairy Honeysuckle Clamboring vine with clusters of light purple tubular flowers. Height: Up to 33 feet (10 meters) in trees.
	*Lonicera involucrata* Twinberry Tall shrub with opposite leaves and pairs of small yellow flowers in leaf axils. Height: Up to 10 feet (3 meters tall).
	*Luetkea pectinata* Partridgefoot Low-growing ground cover with spikes of small white flowers. Height: Up to 6 inches (3 cm) tall.
	*Lupinus polyphyllus* Large-leaved Lupine A large perennial native forb with spikes of blue flowers from one to many hairy stems. Height: 3-6 feet (1-2 meters).
	*Lysichiton americanum* Skunk Cabbage A wetland plant with very large waxy erect leaves and yellow flower spikes enclosed in a large yellow sheath. Grows larger in shady understories. Height: 1-5 feet (30-150 cm).
	*Mahonia aquifolium* Tall Oregon Grape Erect, stiff-branched shrub with holly-like leaves and clusters of yellow flowers. More tolerant of open sites than Mahonia nervosa. Height: 2.5 - 6.5 feet (0.8 meters - 2 meters).
	*Mahonia nervosa* Dull Oregon Grape Low-growing creeping shrub with dark green holly-like leaves and slender spikes of yellow flowers. Prefers shady areas. Height: Up to 2 feet (60 cm) tall.
	*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 californica* Pacific Wax Myrtle Tall shrub with small evergreen leaves. Height: Up to 15 feet (5 meters) tall.
	*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.
	*Oemleria cerasiformis* Indian Plum, Osoberry Deciduous shrub producing clusters of white flowers in very early spring. One of the earliest plants to bloom. Slightly tolerant of shade. Height: 16.5 feet (5 meters).
	*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. Shade or sun. Height: Up to 40 inches (1 meter).
	*Penstemon davidsonii* Davidson's Penstemon Low mat-forming perennial with small evergreen leaves and large blue-purple tubular flowers. Height: 2-4 inches (5-10 cm) tall.
	*Penstemon serrulatus* Coast Penstemon Perennial, sprawling sub-shrub from a woody stem base, with large purple tubular flowers at stem tips. Height: 8-28 inches (20-70 cm).
	*Petasites palmatus* Palmate Coltsfoot Many-stemmed perennial with umbrella-like leaves from creeping rhizomes. Height: Up to 30 inches (80 cm).
	*Physocarpus capitatus* Pacific Ninebark Erect to spreading shrub up to 4 meters tall with clusters of white flowers. Height: Up to 13 feet (4 meters).
	*Picea sitchensis* Sitka spruce Large tree with horizontal branches and drooping branchlets Height: Up to 200 feet (60 meters) tall.
	*Polemonium pulcherrimum* Showy Jacob's-ladder Taprooted perennial with mostly basal leaves and blue bell-shaped flowers. Height: Up to 14 inches (35 cm).
	*Prunella vulgaris ssp. lanceolata* Self Heal Fibrous-rooted perennial from short rhizome or stem-base with small purple flowers. Height: Up to 20 inches (50 cm).
	*Pseudotsuga menziesii* Douglas fir Large coniferous tree with thick, fluted bark. Height: Up to 300 feet (90 meters).
	*Pteridium aquilinum* Bracken Fern Rhizomous perennial fern with large, much-divided solitary fronds, Height: Usually 3-6 feet (1-2 meters) tall, sometimes taller.
	*Rhamnus purshiana* Cascara Erect, tall shrub or small tree with alternate leaves and inconspicuous flower clusters. Height: Up to 33 feet (10 meters).
	*Rhododendron macrophyllum* Pacific Rhododendron Showy shrub that can grow very large, with clusters of large pink flowers. Height: Up to 26 feet (8 meters) if grown in shade; shorter and bushier in sunlight.
	*Ribes lacustre* Black Gooseberry Erect to spreading shrub with spiny stems. Height: Up to 6.5 feet (2 meters).
	*Rosa gymnocarpa* Baldhip Rose Spindly shrub with brittle weak straight spines and small pink rose flowers. Height: Up to 5 feet (1.5 meters).
	*Rubus spectabilis* Salmonberry Erect and branching shrub with early spring pink flowers and reddish-orange raspberry-like fruits. Height: Up to 13 feet (4 meters).
	*Rubus ursinus* Trailing Blackberry Trailing prickly vine producing small blackberries in late summer. Height: 20 inches (50 cm).
	*Sambucus racemosa* Red Elderberry Shrub to small tree with clusters of small white flowers and red berries. Height: 20 feet (6 meters).
	*Scirpus microcarpus* Small-flowered Bulrush
	*Sisyrinchium idahoense* Blue-eyed Grass A small clump-forming iris-like plant with small blue flowers. Height: 28 inches (40 cm).
	*Smilacina racemosa* False Solomon's Seal
	*Smilacina stellata* Starflowered False Solomon's Seal
	*Sorbus sitchensis* Sitka-Mountain Ash
	*Sparganium eurycarpum* Broadfruit Bur-reed
	*Stachys cooleyae* Cooley's Hedge Nettle Perennial from rhizomes. Common in open or in forest under story. Height: Up to 5 feet (1.5 meters).
	*Streptopus amplexifolius* Clasping Twisted Stalk Perennial herb with a branched zigzagging stem and dangling white flowers. Height: 3 feet (1 meter).
	*Symphoricarpos albus* Snowberry Erect shrub with attractive white berries that persist through the winter. Prefers sunny edges or clearings. Height: Up to 6.5 feet (2 meters).
	*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. Shade tolerant, will germinate in shady understory. Height: 100-230 feet (30-70 meters).
	*Trillium ovatum* Western Trillium Short stout stems topped with a whorl of three leaves and a single large white flower. Height: 12-18 inches (30-45 cm).
	*Tsuga heterophylla* Western hemlock
	*Tsuga mertensiana* Mountain Hemlock Slow growing evergreen conifer. Height: Up to 40 meters (130 ft) tall, but often shorter.
	*Urtica dioica* Stinging Nettle Tall perennial herb with deciduous leaves covered in stinging hairs.
	*Vaccinium ovatum* Evergreen huckleberry Bushy shrub with small shiny green evergreen leaves and small clusters of pink bell-shaped flowers. Height: Up to 4 meters (13 ft) tall.
	*Vaccinium parvifolium* Red Huckleberry Delicately branched shrub with small red huckleberries, suitable for shady areas on decaying wood. Height: 4-10 feet (1.5-3 meters).
	*Vancouveria hexandra* Inside-out Flower Rhizomatous perennial with small white flowers and delicate leaves. Height: 16 inches (40 cm).
	*Viburnum edule* High Bush Cranberry Shrub with bright red berries and brilliant fall foliage. Height: 3-9 feet (1-3 meters) tall.
	*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. Height: 3-5 feet (1-1.5 meters).

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