Mission Statement: To promote the appreciation and conservation of Washington's native plants and their habitats through study, education, and advocacy.
The WNPS Native Plant Directory goal is to provide basic information on Washington State native plants including identifying features, plant propagation and landscaping uses, ethnobotanical uses, and conservation and restoration uses. If you are interested in writing listings or submitting photos, please contact website@wnps.org.
The fields wildlife and landscape uses are new, and not very well built out per each listing, but may be helpful to some. For example, butterflies, pollinators, or deer resistant are popular options, but rabbit resistant currently has no hits.
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Prosartes hookeri
Liliaceae
Description
A leafy, sparingly-branched perennial from slender rhizomes which grows in moist, shady, wooded areas.
At a glance
- Plant Type: Herb.
- Distribution: This plant grows from British Columbia to California, and east to Montana. This plant grows on both sides of the Cascades crest and at the coast in Washington.
- Height: This plant grows up to 24 inches (60 cm) in height.
- Flowers: Two to three drooping, bell-shaped, creamy white flowers grow at the end of the branches. Each flower contains 6 tepals (sepals and petals which cannot be properly distinguished), 6 stamens, and grow 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch (9 to 18 mm) in length.
- Leaves: Alternate, oval to lance-shaped leaves grow with pointed tips. The leaves are slightly hairy on the upper surface and grow up to 6 inches (15 cm) in length.
- Fruits: Egg-shaped, slightly hairy berries, yellow in color initially, turning to red with age, are produced. The berries are less than 1/2 of an inch (7 to 9 mm) in length.
- Notable feature: The pointed leaf tips, sometimes called 'drip tips', provide a way for the leaves to shed excess water in the moist areas where this plant grows.
- Synonyms: This plant has been identified as Disporum hookeri, Disporum Hookeri var. oreganum, Disporum Hookeri var. trachyandrum, Disporum oreganum, Disporum parvifolium, Disporum trachyandrum, Prosartes hookeri var. oregana, and Prosartes oregana.
Ethnobotany
The Nlaka'pamux Pacific Northwest tribe has eaten the fruit occasionally.
References
- CNPS Calscape: https://calscape.org/loc-California/Prosartes%20hookeri%20(Hooker's%20Fairy%20Bell)
- Native American Ethnobotany Database: http://naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=Prosartes+hookeri
- Oregon State University Dept. of Botany & Plant Pathology - OregonFlora. https://oregonflora.org/taxa/garden.php?taxon=7668
- Pojar, J and MacKinnon, A. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alaska. Vancouver (BC): Lone Pine Publishing.
- Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium and Landscaping Pages, 2007.
- WTU Image Herbarium: https://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Prosartes%20hookeri
Page Editors/Authors
- Gerald B. Stanley
Details
|
Habit/Form Herbaceous |
Hydrology Moist |
Propagation Seed, Division |
|
Reproduction Flower/Fruit |
Elevation Low elevation, Mid elevation |
Animal Friends Birds, Honey bees and other pollinators |
|
Flowering Period April, May, June, July |
Origin/Distribution West of Cascades, East of Cascades |
Land/Restoration Use Polluted Water |
|
Habitat Forest |
Leaf Arrangement Alternate |
Use Traits Food use/Preservation |
|
Sun/Shade Tolerance Partial Shade/Sun, Mostly Shady, Full Shade |
Notable Features Berries |
Conservation Status Not of concern |
|
Generation Perennial |