MANUALL OFOREGON

TREE s ag SHRUBS
 REFERENCE
MANUAL OF OREGON
TREES AND SHRUBS

WARREN R. RANDALL

ROBERT F KENISTON

DALE N. BEVER *

“uN O.S.U. Book Stores, Inc.

Corvallis, Oregon

1976
Litho--U.S.A.

*1958 Edition by Warren R. Randall

* 1968 Revision by Robert F. Keniston
1974 Revision by Dale N. Bever
0-88246-092-7
 PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION

This manual has been prepared to aid student

foresters and game managers in the identification of
major tree and shrub species to be found in Oregon.
Emphasis is placed on Oregon species. They are
also almost all species of importance in other Pacific
Northwest states. No attempt has been made to
include all native woody plants.

Although the botanical description of each species is

by no means comprehensive, sufficient detail has been
included for identification. As an aid to identification
several keys are included. In addition to the two large
keys for the conifers and broadleaf species, there are
separate keys for each genus that has more than one
species.

The scientific names used in this manual follow the

US. Forest Service ‘‘Check List of Native and Natural-
ized Trees of the United States,”’ issued in 1953.
Scientific names for shrubs are in accord with those
found in “Standardized Plant Names,’’ 2nd edition,
published in 1942.

The cover and all illustrations in the Introduction

are the work of Robert R. Kinkead, Jr.

W.R. Randall

Corvallis, Oregon
April 1, 1957

38776
 PREFACE TO THE 1968 EDITION

For over 18 years Warren R. (Casey) Randall served

with vigor and enthusiasm as dendrologist and professor
of forest management at Oregon State University’s
School of Forestry. At the time of his decease in 1966
he had intended to revise the first edition of this book.
He wished to correct two systematic errors and various
mechanical and random errors, and generally to improve
the accuracy and usefulness of his book. He believed
that the addition of illustrations to the descriptions of
the trees and shrubs would be particularly helpful. He
also wished to add descriptions of a few species, such as
white manzanita (Arctostaphylos viscida).

In order to carry out Casey Randall’s intentions as

nearly as possible, the second author, a long-time friend
and colleague, has undertaken the revision. Seventy-four
illustrations have been added. These are line drawings
prepared under the direction of Charles R. Ross, Oregon
State University Extension Forester for extension circu-
lars entitled “Oregon Tree Quiz,” ‘Western Oregon
Shrub Quiz,” and ‘‘Eastern Oregon Shrub Quiz.”’
W.R. Randall had provided advice and suggestions in the
preparation of these circulars. These 74 pictures have
been reproduced here through the courtesy of the
Federal Cooperative Extension Service.

In the revised edition, descriptions of four species

were added; descriptions of several varieties and minor
species were condensed, and most keys have been
revised. An attempt was made to correct errors and to
improve the accuracy and clarity wherever possible. A
guiding principle was to minimize the enlargement of
the book so that it would remain a truly pocket-size
manual.

Robert F. Keniston
March 1, 1968
 CONTENTS
Page
introduction iggacc., Steet
TLae cea: 1

Checklist ofispecics eee te ee th take. 28

Key to native and introduced conifers

(and other gymnosperms) ............... 37

Gymnosperms - generic characteristics ......... 41

Summary of distinctive and common characteristics

of northwestern gymnosperms ........... 45

Descriptions of Gymnosperm genera and species . 48

Key to broadleaf trees and shrubs............ 112

Descriptions of Angiosperm (broadleaf) genera

And ispectes eM ean ce Ae ee ts oe 123

Referenceseeman wee. 0s see ee ohio ss ccc 260

Recemmendedireadinigh... 0. se. 4 a nes 261

Summary of similar and distinctive features of

native broadleaf species................. 263

Wintetetwigikeyiees petetr a yet nee oe ne os ace 267

Paleodendrology of Oregon ............... 271

Distinguishing characteristics of families of trees

and'shrubsistidicdi@ay = 2 es ccm 285

Tolerance of American forest trees ........... 293

U:Siforestiregionistm. Ma et. ne on ate as 296

Statestrees# wins state 1 aes ae Bh I: 303

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 INTRODUCTION

All species included in this manual are woody plants.

Such plants are characterized by the following features:

1. Perennial: The plant lives for many years. The

life span for some species may be measured in terms of
decades and for others in terms of centuries.

2. Persistent Stems: The aerial portion of the plant

remains alive indefinitely, i.e., the stems do not die back
to the ground each winter as do many herbaceous plants.

3. Cambial Tissue: The cambium is the layer of

meristematic tissue located between the youngest layer
of wood and,” Ye inner bark. Cambial cells are capable
of repeated division and enable the plant to increase in
diameter. Each year the cambium produces new xylem
(see next characteristic and new phloem (inner bark).

4. Vascular Tissue: The phloem.and xylem are the

vascular or conductive tissues. The phloem is the
principal tissue involved in the translocation of manu-
factured foods. The xylem, or wood, imparts strength
to the stem, and is the tissue involved in conducting
water and minerals upward from the roots.

The distinction between trees and shrubs, and shrubs

and vines is not always definite. The form and size of
a species is influenced by its age and environmental
factors. A species may normally be classified as a tree,
but at the extremities of its range or near timberline
may be shrubby in appearance. A clump of young
sprouts arising from a low tree stump, and in which no
single stem has gained dominance over the others, may
resemble a shrub. Likewise an immature shrub may
initially exhibit the habit of a trailing vine but later
become erect. Poisonoak is most commonly a shrub,
but when growing adjacent to a tree may develop into
a climbing vine.
 In determining the habit of a woody plant one might
be guided by the following differentiations: A tree gen-
erally attains a height of 20’ or more at maturity, has a
single erect stem, and a well-defined crown. Shrubs are
shorter, have several erect stems arising from a common
base, and lack a well-defined crown, i.e., they are bushy.
Woody vines are prostrate creeping plants, or climbers
dependent on other plants or objects for support.

Plant Classification

Within the plant kingdom there are four broad groups

or divisions: Thallophyta, Bryophyta, Pteridophyta, and
Spermatophyta.

All the species included in this manual/helong to the

division Spermatophyta. The spermatophytes are the
most complex of the plant divisions. They possess true
roots, stems and leaves, and reproduce by means of seeds.
Included in this group are the conifers, palms, broadleaf
trees and shrubs, cycads, ginkgo, grasses and other
herbaceous plants.

Present plant classification systems are based on

presumed natural relationship, i.e., the origin and evolu-
tion of plant species. As there is not total agreement
amongst botanists as to the order of these relationships,
there is more than one system of classification.

The following example serves to illustrate one

system of plant classification:

Kingdom: Plant Plant

Division: Spermatophyta Spermatophyta
Subdivision: _Gymnospermae Angiospermae
Order: Coniferales Sapindales
Family: Pinaceae Aceraceae
Genus: Abies Acer
Species: Abies magnifica Acer glabrum
A. Murr. Torr.
 3

Variety: Abies magnifica shastensis Acer glabrum

Lemm.* douglasii
(Hook.) Dipp.*

The species (the term is both singular and plural) is

the basic unit in plant classification. It is a group or col-
lection of plants so similar structurally as to suggest a
common parent. Occasionally within a species there will
be found a group of plants that possess the major
characteristics of the species, but differ from the species
characteristics in a minor but constant feature. These
plants are designated as a variety of the species. In the
above example, A. magnifica shastensis is a variety of
A. magnifica. \t differs from the latter in having bracts
which are longer than the cone scales.

The word “‘species”’ is abbreviated “’sp.’’ when it

means one species, but ‘’spp.’” when it means two or
more species.

A genus (plural genera) is a group of closely related

species, and a family a group of closely related genera.
Each of the higher categories is a collection of closely
related groups in the next lower group.

When a group the size of a genus or larger contains

but one smaller unit, it is termed monotypic or a
monotype.
Nomenclature

Rules of botanical nomenclature aim to establish

uniform and stable names for the plants to be found
throughout the world. The objective has been fairly
well attained with respect to scientific names. With
respect to common names the aim has not been so well
achieved. Language obstacles and regional preference
or use has often resulted in a specific plant being known
by a great number of names.
*\t is commonly the practice to use the abbreviation “‘var.’’ for
variety between the specific and varietal names. In this manual
however, the abbreviation has been omitted.
 Common Names: Common names of plants are
frequently reflections of characteristics or situations that
people associate with the species. Following are some
examples of ways in which some common names have
originated. (1) Distinctive feature—bigleaf maple, white-
bark pine, sugar pine, knobcone pine, incense-cedar,
bitter cherry. (2) Habitat—mountain hemlock, subalpine
fir, creek dogwood, bog birch. (3) Locality—western
hemlock, Sierra juniper, Pacific yew, California-laurel,
Oregon ash. (4) Use—tanoak, lodgepole pine, Labrador-
tea. (5) Commemoration—Engelmann spruce, Douglas-
fir, Brewer spruce, Jeffrey pine. (6) Adaptation from
foreign name—chinkapin, arborvitae.

Different species often have the same common name.

Red fir is a common name for immature, rapidly grow-
ing Douglas-fir, as well as for California red fir and
Shasta red fir. Yellow pine is a commonly used name
for several two and three needle pines. Larch is a
Larix species, but many loggers and |lumbermen in
western Oregon apply the name to noble fir, a species
in the genus Abjes. Cedar is a common name applied
to species in the genera Thuja, Libocedrus, and
Chamaecyparis, however, the true cedars belong to the
genus Cedrus.

Common names that would be misleading as to the

true character of the plant are hyphenated or written
as one word. Thus Douglas-fir is hyphenated because it is
not a true fir, and redcedar is one word since it is not a
true cedar. Additional examples will be found in the main
text of the manual.

Scientific Names: In order to reduce the confusion

that is often associated with common names systematic
botanists have adopted the “‘International Code of
Botanical Nomenclature’’ which sets forth a detailed set
of rules governing the naming of plants. A binomial sys-
tem of nomenclature is used. Scientific names are com-
posed of two words, the genus (generic name) which is
always capitalized, and the species (specific name), which
is not capitalized. In technical publications it is com-
monly the practice to record the name of the author (the
botanist who named the plant), usually in abbreviated
form, immediately after the specific name.
A trinomial name results when a variety of a species
is recognized, i.e., the components of the name include
the genus, species, and variety.

Aids to Identification
There are numerous ways in which one can go about
identifying trees and shrubs. In this manual dichotomous
keys have been provided for this purpose, one for the
conifers and one for the broadleaf species. For each
genus where there is more than one species, a key to the
species will be found following the generic description.
When using a dichotomous key the user is given choices
between two alternatives, at each step, i.e., for example,
the choice between alternate or opposite leaves. The fig-
ures on the right hand side of the key refer to subsequent
numbers on the left hand side of the key. When sufficient
features have been described, the scientific name of the
species is given. To the beginner the keys may appear to
be quite complicated but with practice he will soon find
that he can use the keys with relative ease. In some
instances the user may find that the description does not
fit the plant he is attempting to identify. If this appears
to be so he can assume one of two conclusions (1) he has
erred in his selection of features, or (2) the tree or shrub
is not included in the manual.
Before attempting to identify a plant become
acquainted with the terms discussed in the following
sections.
A. Leaves
1. Leaf parts:
a. Blade—the expanded portion of the leaf
b. Petiole—the stem of a leaf or leaflet. Leaves lack-
ing a stem or petiole are termed sessile.
Rachis—the stem of a compound leaf.
a9. Margin—the edge of a leaf or leaflet.
 e. Stipule—leafy appendage at the base of the leaf
stem
f. Stomata—pores in the epidermis of the leaf blade.

2. Leaf composition:
a. Simple—there is but one leaf blade on the petiole.
b. Compound—more than one leaf blade shares a com-
mon stem. The individual blades are termed leaflets.
(1) Palmately compound—all leaflets have a com-
mon point of attachment on the rachis.
(2) Pinnately compound—each leaflet has a separate
point of attachment on the rachis.

3. Leaf arrangement:
a. Alternate—single leaves alternate along the length
of the twig.
b. Opposite—single leaves are borne at the same height
on the twig, but are attached on opposite sides.
c. Whorled—three or more leaves arise from the same
level on the twig.

Alternate leaf arrangement is further divided into

2-ranked, 3-ranked, 5-ranked, etc., according to how
many rows of leaves may be seen while looking down a
twig from the tip. These arrangements are expressed by
fractions in a system of numerical phyllotaxy (leaf
arrangement), where the fraction indicates the portion of
the circumference of the twig that must be traversed in
going from one leaf or bud to the next (just higher or
lower) on the twig. Thus 1/2 phyllotaxy means 2-ranked;
1/3 means 3-ranked; and 2/5 means 5-ranked. More
complex leaf arrangements are difficult to recognize and
may be called “‘indeterminate’’ for most purposes.

Leaf arrangement of conifers is usually either spiral

(one leaf per node) or decussate (two leaves per node,
with successive pairs in alternating perpendicular planes).
Some junipers have a ternate leaf arrangement (3 leaves
per node).
 7
The leaf arrangement on spur shoots cannot be readily
distinguished because of the absence of definite internodes.
In determining leaf arrangement it is best to determine the
position of the leaves on the twig growth of the present
growing season.

4. Leaf shapes:
a. Acicular—long, slender and pointed; needle-like.
b. Linear—very narrow, sides nearly parallel, several
times longer than broad.
c. Scalelike —very small, usually less than 1/4” long,
closely appressed to the twig and overlapping.
d. Awl-shaped—very narrow and tapered, several times
longer than broad, the apex is long and sharp.

The above leaf shapes are most commonly found on

coniferous species. The following are characteristic of
the broadleaf species.

e. Ovate—egg-shaped; the broadest point is below the

center of the leaf.
f. Obovate—inverted egg-shaped.
g. Lanceolate—lance-shaped, several times longer than
broad, the broadest point is about 1/3 of the dis-
tance up from the base, the upper portion of the
leaf is long and tapered.
h. Oblanceolate—inverted lance-shaped.
i. Oblong—at least twice as long as broad, the sides
are nearly parallel.
j. Elliptical—broadest in the center and tapering
evenly toward each end, i.e., shaped like an ellipse
or slender football.
k. Orbicular—round or circular in outline.
|. Oval—nearly circular in outline, but with the sides
slightly compressed.
. Deltoid—triangular.
. Rhomboid—diamond-shaped.
Cordate—heart-shaped, broadest near the base.
Spatulate—narrow obovate.
20933
. Cuneate—wedge-shaped.
 LEAF COMPOSITION

SIMPLE

PALMATELY COMPOUND PINNATELY COMPOLUNO

LEAF ARRANGEMENT

ALTERNATE

OPPOSITE

WHORLEOD ON SPLIR SHOOT

10
REAP RSHAPEO

AWL - SHAPED
LINEAR
ACICULAR

OVAL
- LIKE ORBICULAR
SCALE

\\
\ os

\y
ef
Ree

LANC EOLA
OBOVATE
OVATE
 11

LEAF. SHAPES

QOELTOIO RHOMGOIO
OBLANCEOLATE

CUNEATE
¥ Ww
SPATULATE CORDATE

geet

OBLONG ELLIPTICAL
12
5. Leaf texture:
a. Coriaceous—leathery, thick or tough.
b. Membranous--thin and somewhat translucent.
6. Leaf surfaces:
Glabrous—smooth, lacking hairs.
Glaucous—having a white powdery or waxy coating.
Hirsute—short, stiff hairs.
. Pubescent—soft short hairs.
ea9002
Tomentose—woolly hairs, usually curled and
matted, felt-like or velvety.
Rugose—wrinkled, i.e., sunken veins.
. Scabrous—sandpapery.
7. Leaf margins:
a. Entire—smooth, lacking teeth or lobes.
b. Repand—wavy or undulating.
c. Serrate—having sharp teeth or serrations which
point upward.
d. Doubly serrate—small teeth on the larger teeth.
e, Crenate—having rounded teeth.
f. Doubly crenate—smaller crenations on the larger
teeth.
g. Dentate—sharp teeth pointing outward.
h. Revolute—the very edge of the margin is rolled
down and under.
j. Lobed—indentations (sinuses) in the margins
extended from 1/3 to 1/2 the distance from the
margin to the midrib, and dividing the margin into
lobes.
j. Cleft—marginal lobes resulting from sinuses extend-
ing more than half the distance to the midrib.
k. Parted—unattached lobes resulting from sinuses
extending from the margin to the midrib; lobes
may appear to be leaflets.
8. Leaf apex:
a. Round—almost semi-circular or with a sweeping
arc.
b. Obtuse—bluntly pointed; apex forms angle greater
than 90°.
c. Acute—forms an angle of less than 90°, tip not
attenuated.
 LEAF MARGINS

Vy
AV
ENTIRE SLIGHTLY WAVY SERRATE

DOUBLY SERRATE DENTATE CRENATE

DOUBLY CRENATE PALMATELY LOBED PINNATELY LOBED

CLEFT AND PARTED REVOLUTE

14

LEAF APEX

,
V
\
ALUTE
AY
ACCUMINATE ROUND
|

\Y Va
rae ;

MUCRONATE CUSPIOATE OBTUSE EMARGINATE

LEAF BASE

Y V y AV)
7 2 \
CUNEATE OBTUSE ROUAL

NY
ae

\\ ans Y} geet
CORDATE TRUNCATE INEQUILATERAL
LEAF VENATION
16

FLOWERS

STIEMA
ANTHER

STYLE FILAMENT

RECEPTACLE

PEOUNCLE

FLOWER PARTS

FLOWER
HEAO

GLOGOSE HEAD
 (Ne
d. Acuminate—narrowly acute with a long attenuate
point.
e. Emarginate—shallowly notched.
f. Mucronate—abruptly bristle-tipped.
g. Cuspidate—terminating abruptly with a sharp, rigid
point.
9. Leaf base:
a. Round—almost semi-circular or with a sweeping
curve.
b. Obtuse—blunt, the sides form an angle greater
than 90°.
c. Acute—the sides form an angle less than 90°, but
not attenuated.
d. Cuneate—wedge-shaped.
e. Cordate—heart-shaped.
f. Truncate—abruptly horizontal, i.e., nearly straight
across.
g. Inequilateral—lop-sided or asymmetrical.
10. Leaf persistence:
a. Deciduous—the leaves fall from the tree or shrub
in the autumn, and the plant is bare of living foliage
during the winter.
b. Persistent—green, living foliage is present on the
tree or shrub the entire year.
B. Flowers
Flowers contain the reproductive organs of the plant.
In most woody plants the flowers are small, not particu-
larly conspicuous and are short-lived. All natural classi-
fication systems of seed plants are based upon flower
structure.
1. Flower parts:
a. Pistil—the ovary or seed-bearing organ.
b. Stamen—the pollen-bearing organ.
C: Sepal—the leafy appendage beneath the petal,
usually green, but occasionally they may be some
other color. Collectively, all the sepals in a flower
are termed the calyx.
. Petal—the most colorful appendage of the flower.
Collectively, the petals form the corolla.
18

+ PELTATE ARIL
= (MBRICATED CONE
CONE
SCALES
SCALES

SAMARA ALCHENE
SINGLE SAMARA DOUGLE

NUT - ACORN NUT

 iI)
e. Receptable—the expanded portion of the flower
on which the pistils, stamens, petals and sepals are
borne.
f. Peduncle—the supporting stem or stalk of a flower.

2. Flowers:
a. Complete—individual flowers that possess stamens,
one or more pistils, petals and sepals.
b. Incomplete—individual flowers in which one or
more of the aforementioned parts are missing.
c. Perfect (bisexual)—a flower having both function-
ing pistil(s) and functioning stamens, either or both
of the petals and sepals may be present or absent.
d. Imperfect (unisexual)—a flower having only a
pistil or stamens, but not both; either or both the
petals and sepals may be present or absent.
e. Staminate- an imperfect flower possessing only
stamens, i.e., a male flower.
f. Pistillate—an imperfect flower possessing only a
pistil, i.e., a female flower.

A single plant that bears only unisexual flowers of

both sexes is termed monoecious. If only pistillate
flowers are borne on one plant and only staminate
flowers on another plant, the species is said to be
dioecious.

3. Inflorescence: i.e., floral arrangement.

a. Ament (catkin)—a pedent spike of unisexual
flowers; the individual flowers lack petals.
b. Head—a compact cluster of sessile flowers borne
on a common receptacle.
c. Raceme—an inflorescence with a long central axis
bearing flowers on short pedicels of equal length.
The flowers usually have petals and/or sepals.

Inflorescences other than the three described above

will be referred to hereafter as clusters and the shape
described.
20
FRUITS:

y
CAPSULE FOLLICLE 4ECUME

POME PRUPE ORUPE

BERRY ACEREGATE FRUIT MULTIPLE FRULT

 21
C. Fruits

A fruit is the seed-bearing organ of a plant.

. Gymnospermous Fruits: bear naked seeds.

a. Types.
(1) Cone—woody, leathery or semi-fleshy scales
spirally arranged, or alternating in pairs at
right angles, and inserted on a central axis.
Each fertile scale bears one or more seeds.
(2) Aril—a fleshy appendage partially or wholly
surrounding a single seed.
b. Cone scale features.
(1) Apophysis—the portion of the cone scale
exposed when the cone is closed.
(2) Umbo—a small terminal or dorsal scar on the
apophysis of a pine cone.
(3) Imbricate(d) scales—overlapping scales; char-
acteristic of some cones in which the scales are
spirally arranged on a central axis.
(4) Peltate scales—shield-shaped, umbrella-shaped,
or mushroom-shaped scales.
(5) Boss—a raised, usually pointed, projection on
the apophysis of a peltate scale.
(6) Armed scale or umbo—a scale or umbo bearing
a spine, prickle or claw.
(7) Valvate scales—meet at the base or edges
without overlapping.

. Angiospermous Fruits: a ripened ovary (part of the

pistil containing the ovule), and frequently including
other accessory parts of the flower, such as the
receptacle, bracts, calyx and style.

. Simple Fruits:
a. Dry, indehiscent fruits.
(1) Achene—one-seeded, unwinged fruits; may or
may not have hairy or feathery appendages.
(2) Samara—a one-seeded, winged fruit, two
samaras may be united as in the maples.
22

TWIGS

TERMINAL BUC
PSEU0O TERMINAL GUO

THAG SCAR

IMBRIC ATED SOALES

LEAF SCAR

LEN TICEL

LATERAL GUO

Bul SCALE SCARS

CHAMBERED PITH
HOMOCENEOUS PITH

STALKED U0 BUD ON SPLIR stHlO07- NAKED BUD

 23
(3) Nut—a one-celled, one-seeded fruit with a
woody or leathery wall, and partially or wholly
surrounded by a husk.
b. Dry, dehiscent fruits.
(1) Legume—product of a simple pistil splitting
down two sides.
(2) Follicle—product of a simple pistil splitting
down one side only.
(3) Capsule—product of a compound pistil splitting
down two or more sides.
c. Fleshy fruits.
(1) Pome—product of a compound pistil, the inner
wall surrounding the seeds is papery or carti-
laginous, the outer wall, which develops from
the enlarged receptacle, is thick and fleshy.
These are applelike fruits.
(2) Berry—a many-seeded fruit in which the seeds
are imbedded within a pulpy body.
(3) Drupe—product of a simple pistil, usually one-
seeded, with a hard inner wall and a fleshy
outer wall. A cherrylike fruit.
4, Compound Fruits:
a. Aggregate fruit—a tight cluster of simple fruits
borne on a common receptacle (or one flower).
b. Multiple fruit—a cluster of simple fruits which are
products of pistils of separate flowers, and which
are borne in a tight, compact cluster.
D. Twigs

Twig characteristics are good features to use for

identification when the flowers and leaves are absent,
and other plant characteristics are inadequate.

1. Buds—small axillary or terminal structures on the

stem or branch, consisting of rudimentary foliage or
floral leaves.
a. Position.
(1) Lateral—the buds borne along the side of the
twig, in the axil between the leaf stem and the
twig, or in the leaf scar.
24
(2) Terminal—buds borne at the tip of the twig.
(3) Pseudoterminal—buds which appear to be
terminal but which are actually lateral buds;
a twig scar is evident at the end of the twig.
(4) Submerged buds—buds which are buried in the
leaf scar.
b. Kinds of buds.
(1) Flower—the bud contains only floral parts;
flower buds are usually larger than leaf buds.
(2) Leaf—buds containing only embryonic leaves.
(3) Mixed—buds containing both flowers and leaves.
c. Bud scales.
(1) Imbricated—scales overlap like shingles.
(2) Valvate—scales meet along their margins but do
not overlap.
(3) Naked—scales are absent; if the bud is exposed
the embryonic leaves are visible.

. Bud scale scar—scar left on the twig when the scales of

the terminal bud drop off.

. Leaf scar—the scar found on the twig at the point

where a fallen leaf was attached.

. Node—that position on the twig where the leaf is

attached. The internode is that portion of the twig
between two nodes.

. Lenticels—round, oval or slitlike pores on the twigs,

branches and stems of a plant which are concerned
with aeration.

Spur shoots—short, lateral, scarred twigs which lack

internodal development.

. Lammas shoots—a twig bearing leaves, which developed

in the late summer from the current season’s bud, and
which arises immediately above a leaf.
 25
8. Spines, thorns, and prickles:
a. Foliar spines—leaves are modified into spines and
carry on the function of leaves. Best example is
gorse.
b. Prickles (cortical spines)—spines modified cork
(bark) tissue. Examples: Rosa spp. and Rubus
spp.
c. Stipular spines—the stipules have been modified
into spines. Example: Robinia.
d. Woody thorns—are modified twigs, the tissue is
wood. Example: Crataegus spp.

9. Pith—the center or core of the twig, branch or stem.

a. Shapes.
(1) Terete—round.
(2) Stellate—star-shaped.
(3) Triangular- three-sided.
b. Types.
(1) Solid- continuous and unbroken throughout.
(2) Spongy—soft and porous, large in cross section
when compared to the dimension of the twig.
(3) Chambered—in longitudinal section it
resembles a slender, hollow pipe with disks
inserted at regular intervals.
(4) Hollow—pipelike, i.e., the center is open.
E. Bark
On larger plants the color, thickness, texture,
configuration and other prominent features frequently
are definite aids to the identification of some species.
Familiarity with distinctive features of outer and inner
bark is best acquired by close observation of the plant
in the field rather than committing to memory written
or verbal descriptions.

STUDY HINTS
1. Look for characteristics that are different or distinc-
tive (opposite branching, chambered pith, stalked
buds, 1/2 phyllotaxy, etc.). Learn these character-
istics and forget the commonplace.
26
_ Learn thoroughly the characteristics of each genus,
then you won't have to learn them separately for eact
species in that genus.

. Spend much of your allotted study time for this

course in the field observing and examining the specie
You will find it much more effective than staying in
your room memorizing facts.

_ Get together with others in the course and review the

species together. You will find it mutually beneficial

_ The instructor will put special emphasis on outstand-

ing characteristics and pertinent facts for each of the
species. Underline these points in your manual.

_ All plants of the same species were not cast from the
same mold. Become familiar with the variation in
features that exist within a given species. Don't gues
but weigh the evidence when confronted with a
particular specimen that is not an exact duplicate of
one of the same species you have previously examine

. See summary lists on pages 263 to 266 of common

and distinctive features. These lists include: opposit
leaves, compound leaves, persistent leaves, aromatic
foliage, revolute margins, flowers borne in aments,
preformed staminate flowers, fruit a pome, fruit an
achene. Notice in each of these categories the gener:
that have the feature. There will be species within
some of the genera that are exceptions and these
should be noted.

. You won't become familiar and adept at plant

identification by overnight ‘cramming.’ Allot as
much time as you can to studying the material. Be
guided by the above suggestions and try to develop
other study habits that are of aid to you. The cours
instructor will be glad to assist you with any diffi-
culties or problems.
 27

Always keep in mind that while there are aids to

learning there are no short-cuts.

10. When you read about a tree or shrub, visualize.

ht When you “know’’ a tree, you have a clear mental

image of that tree. Work toward improving that
image.
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 37

KEY To NAERS ae NT BU ESCONIFERS

(AND OTHER GYMNOSPERMS)
DR Ree pete aaah baneaty
leavs, spirally arranged on twig. Leaves needle-
Pikger toes awl-like in one species.

x 2 (opposite .
‘alternating cone planes) or ternate (3per
node). Leaves scalelike or awl-like. 1

2. Leaves borne in bundles, or in clusters on spur

shoots. Leaves needle-l linear.
orike ei

2. Leaves occur singly, the leaf bases spirally

arranged on twig. Leaves linear or awl-like. 5

3. Leaves acicular (needle-like) in bundles of 2 cbse

Bundle sheath deciduous or persistent. Cones
pendent. Pinus:p. 48

3. Leaves linear, borne in clustersof12 or more on

spirally arranged spur shoots; borne singly on new
4
shoots. Cones erect.

4. Leaves deciduous, soft and flexible. Cones

1/2"to 2" long. Larix p. 63

4. Leaves persistent; soft or somewhat stiff.

Twigs smooth. Cones 2” to 5” tall,
barrel-shaped. Cedrus p. 61
5. Leaves have distinct petioles. 6

5. Leaves sessile (lack a petiole). 8

6. Base of leaf parallels and adheres to twig.

Leaves pointed, often 2-ranked. No white
bloom on underside. Fruit fleshy one-seeded.
Taxus p. 109
 ic
*

6. Base ofleaf does notparallel Sparel i

White stomatal bloom on underside of leaf.
Leaves blunt or inconspicuous! pointed; 2.
ranked or scattered all around abe age
twigs slender. Fruitacone.
7. Leaf scar small, oval, half-raised. Lear
Buds about 1/4” long. Cone bracts longer
scales. Leaves at least 3/4” long. | peep71
. Leaf scar slender, diagonally-raised, peg-like.
Leader droops. Buds about 1/16” long. Cone |a
bracts shorter than scales. Leaves 1/4’’ to 3/4”
long. Tsuga p. 74
8. Leaves aan on conspicuausly-raised, peg-like
Le peeaves often very sharp, never 2-
ranked. Conenrecilenge with imbricate scales,
Picea p. 66
8. Leaves not borne on raised projections from
twig; leaves blunt or pointed, often 2-ranked.
Cones pendent with peltate scales, or erect with
deciduous, imbricate scales. 9

Leaf scars large, round, flat. Leaves linear, blunt;

eee or upswept (concentrated onupper side
of twig). Cones erect, with deciduous, imbricate
ies Dead leaves fall singly. Abies p78
. Leaf scars non-existent; twig scars elliptical,
elongated laterally; leaves pointed, and either
(1) linear, flat, 2-ranked, or (2) awl-like to
lanceolate and scattered spirally around twig.
Cone scales peltate. Leaves fall in sprays (small
twig plus leaves), not singly. - Sequoia p. 10

10. Leaves linear, flat, 2-ranked. Sequoia

p. 89
10. Leaves awl-like to lanceolate.
Sequoiadendron p. 91
 11,Leaves scalelike. aN ae:
) 11. Leaves awl-like orlanceolate. 8
7, Leaves in flatsprays. 43
12. Smallest sprays square or hexagonal in cross-
section. Pen 15
13. Intern
and ode
scales much
s than broad;
ted,decurrent (adhering to
with only tip ofscale sticking out). Conetwig semi-
woody, 3/4” to 1” lon with
g,only 3 main ;
aati i erlapping ral leaf scales
on scales, produces a’ glass’ effect.
Libocedrus p. 97
13. Internodes and scales about aslongas broad,
Cones less than 1/2” long. aay
14. Ultimate sprays about 1/8” wide; white
butterfly or bow-tie pattern on underside.
Cone scales in valvate pairs in an overlapping-
decussate arrangement. Thujap. 95
14. Ultimate sprays about 1/16” wide, White
“X" pattern or no white bloom on ¥
Cones have peltate scales. Chamaecyparis p. 99
15. Leaves ternate (3 per node); may be also some
decussate leaves; some leaves may be awl-shaped
or lanceolate. Cones about 1/4”, fleshy,
berrylike. Juniperus p. 103
15. Leaves and cone scales decussate (opposite in
alternating perpendicular planes); some leaves
may be awl-shaped; some cones may be fleshy. 16
16. Cone diameter 1/2’ orlarger; leaves scalelike,
with awl-like leaves on young shoots.
Cupressus p. 108
 40 7
16. Cone diameter 1/4”to1/3”. w
ike and decussate.
17. Leaves consistently scale-lscales,
Cones have 4 to 6 convex each witha
conspicuous point. Chamaecyparis p. 99
17. Leaves mostly scale-like, butawl-likeon new |
shoots. Cones fleshy, berry-like, with decus-
sate, peltate scales fused together. Juniperusp. 103
18, Cones 1/2” or larger in diameter, woody .
Leaves awl-like on new shoots, otherw ise
scale-like. Cupressusp.108

18. Cones 1/6” to 1/3” in diameter, fleshy,

berry-like, with soft peltate scales fused
her. Leaves may be chiefly awl-like but
‘some scale-like leaves usually present.
- Juniperus p. 103

lil
ee
 41
GYMNOSPERMS

Generic Characteristics
Genus Characteristics

Abies Leaves spirally arranged, sessile,

linear; flat or thickened in cross-
section; round, flat leaf scars on
twigs; buds more or less resinous;
erect cones mature in one season,
borne in the top of the crown and
disintegrate when ripe.

Cedrus Leaves linear, triangular in cross-

section; borne singly and spirally
on current year’s twigs, thereafter
clustered on spur shoots (leaves
similar to the larches, but stiffer
and persistent); erect cones mature
in two years, disintegrate on the
tree; wood durable.

Chamaecyparis Scale-like, decussate leaves arranged

in flat or 4-angled sprays; cones
small, 1/4” or 1/3’’, and round,
with peltate, decussate scales;
mature in one or two growing
seasons; leader droops; wood
durable.

Cupressus Decussate, scalelike leaves (awl-

like on juvenile or vigorous growth),
resin-dotted in some species;
youngest branchlets 4-angled in
cross-section in many species.
Cones 1/2” or larger, round or
nearly so, with woody or leathery
peltate, decussate scales, each scale
with a central projection (boss);
cones mature in two years; wood
durable.
42
Juniperus Leaves decussate or ternate, scale-
like and/or awl-like (on all species
the leaves are awl-like on juvenile
growth and frequently on vigorous
shoots; some species have only awl-
like leaves); leaves resin-dotted in a
few species; dioecious; cones fleshy,
small and round, coated with a
white bloom, mature in one, two,
or three years; wood durable.

Larix Leaves deciduous, linear; borne

singly and spirally on current year’s
twigs, thereafter clustered on spur
shoots; cones erect, with spirally
arranged, imbricate scales; bracts
longer than cone scales on western
species; cones mature in one season,
but often persist several years on
the tree.

Libocedrus Scalelike, decussate leaves, 1/8” to

1/2” long, in flat sprays; overlapping
of the lateral scales on the facial
scales results in a wine-glass outline.
Cones valvate, semi-woody; resemble
a duck’s bill when closed; there
appear to be 3 cone scales, although
the center scale consists of 2 scales
fused together; 2 large outer scales
cover the seeds; an additional 2
basal scales are aborted. Cones
mature in one growing season.
Leader droops. Wood durable.

Picea Sessile, spirally arragged, stiff,

usually pointed, linear leaves borne
on peglike projections on the twigs;
leaves flat or 3- to 4-angled in cross-
section; cones pendent, with
 43
spirally arranged, imbricate scales,
maturing in one growing season;
cone scales woody or semi-papery.

Pinus Acicular (needlelike) leaves borne

in spirally arranged bundles of 2 to
5 (1 in P. monophylla). Bundle
sheath persistent in the 2- and 3-
needle pines; deciduous in the
5-needle pines. Cones pendent and
with spirally arranged, imbricate,
woody scales. In the 2- and 3-
needle pines the umbo on the cone
scale is dorsal and armed; in the
5-needle pines it is terminal and
unarmed. Cones mature in 2 years.

Pseudotsuga Linear, flat, petiolate leaves,

spirally arranged on the twig; leaf
scars small, round, half-raised.
Cones pendent, with spirally
arranged, imbricate scales, and 3-
pointed bracts longer than the cone
scales; cones woody or semi-woody,
maturing in one season. Buds
reddish-brown, sharp-pointed, with
imbricate scales which persist
during the growing season.

Sequoia Leaves sessile, with bases spirally

arranged on twig; leaves linear,
flat, and superficially 2-ranked.
Cones pendent, with woody,
spirally arranged, peltate scales;
mature in one year. Wood
durable.
44
Sequoiadendron Leaves sessile, with bases spirally
arranged on twig; leaves awl-like
to lanceolate, scattered around
twig. Cones pendent, with woody,
spirally arranged, peltate scales;
mature in two years. Wood durable.

Taxus Leaves linear, petiolate, pointed,

with bases spirally arranged on
twig; superficially 2-ranked in native
species. Dioecious. Fruit fleshy,
one-seeded, red (an aril). Wood
durable, hard.

Thuja Scale-like, decussate leaves, in flat

sprays. Cones about 1/2’ long,
with several overlapping, decussate
Pairs of valvate scales, each of which
is minutely spine-tipped; mature
in one growing season. Leader
droops. Wood durable.

Tsuga Leaves spirally arranged, petiolate,

linear; flat or thickened in cross-
section, 2-ranked in some species.
Cones pendent, with thin, spirally
arranged, imbricate scales, woody
or semi-woody; mature in one
season. Twigs roughened with
ridges terminating in a slender
diagonally raised peg to which a
leaf is attached. Leader droops.
 45
SYMMARY OF DISTINCTIVE AND COMMON
CHARACTERISTICS OF NORTHWEST
GYMNOSPERMS
LEAVES
Deciduous Leaves Awl-like or Lanceolate
Larix spp. Leaves
Juniperus spp.
Leaves Borne in Bundles
Sequoiadendron
Pinus spp.
giganteum
a. Two per Bundle: Cupressus spp.
P. contorta
Scalelike Leaves
b. Three per Bundle:
P. attenuata a. Arranged in Flattened
P. jeffreyi Sprays
P. ponderosa Chamaecyparis spp.
Libocedrus decurrens
c. Five per Bundle: Thuja plicata
P. albicaulis
P. flexilis b. Not Arranged in
P. lambertiana Flattened Sprays
P. monticola Cupressus spp.
Juniperus spp. (not
Leaves Clustered on J. communis)
Spur Shoots
Cedrus spp. Petiolate Leaves
Larix spp. Pseudotsuga menziesii
Taxus brevifolia
‘Leaves 2-Ranked Tsuga spp.
Abies grandis
Abies concolor Leader Droops
Sequoia sempervirens Cedrus deodara
Taxus brevifolia Chamaecyparis spp.
Tsuga heterophylla Libocedrus decurrens
Thuja plicata
Linear Leaves Tsuga spp.
Abies spp. Pseudotsuga menziesii
Cedrus spp. Tsuga spp.
Larix spp. Sequoia sempervirens
Picea spp.
46
FLOWERS

All the Northwest species are monoecious, except the

Juniperus spp. and Taxus brevifolia, which are dioecious.

The flowers of all gymnosperm species are unisexual.

The stamens and pistils are borne in conelike bodies

termed strobili (singular is strobile). A given strobile
is unisexual, i.e., it has only stamens or only pistils, not
both.

FRUITS

The fruiting structure of the conifers is a cone, and

that of the yews is an aril. Most coniferous fruits mature
in one growing season.

Cones Mature in 2 Growing Seasons

Cedrus spp. Pinus spp
Chamaecyparis nootkatensis Sequoiadendron
Cupressus spp. giganteum
Juniperus spp.

Cones Borne Erect

Abies spp. Chamaecyparis spp. Thuja plicata
Cedrus spp. Larix spp.

Bracts Longer Than the Cone Scales

Abies procera Larix spp.
Abies magnifica shastensis | Pseudotsuga menziesii

Cones Disintegrate on the Tree When Mature

Abies spp. Cedrus spp.

Peltate Cone Scales

Chamaecyparis spp.
Cupressus spp.
Sequoia
Sequoiadendron
 47

wooD

Durable Heartwood
Cedrus spp. Libocedrus decurrens
Chamaecyparis spp. Sequoia sempervirens
Cupressus spp. Sequoiadendron giganteum
Juniperus spp. Taxus brevifolia
Thuja plicata
48
PINACEAE Pine Family
Pinus L.

pine

Habit: Evergreen, cone-bearing trees with needlelike

leaves borne in bundles or fascicles.

Leaves: Persistent, acicular (needle-like), triangular or

semi-circular in cross section, and borne in fascicles
(bundles) of 2 to 5*; a membranous persistent or
deciduous sheath initially encloses the base of each
fascicle of needles. Each bundle is borne in the axil
of a scalelike leaf. These scale-leaves are spirally
arranged on the twig. Bundle scars are round and
half raised.

Flowers: Monoecious; borne in a strobile (conelike

flower cluster in which the floral parts are spirally
arranged on an elongated axis). The red or yellow
staminate (male) flowers are borne in cylindrical
strobili which are clustered at the base of the twig
growth of the current season. The pistillate flower
cluster resembling an embryonic cone, often reddish
in color, is borne terminally or subterminally on the
twig of the current season.

Cones: Persistent, woody; mature in 2 (rarely 3) growing

seasons; umbo dorsal and armed, or terminal and
unarmed; each fertile scale bears 2 winged or wingless
seeds. In some species the cones may fall from the
tree shortly after maturing; other species may retain
their cones for several months after the seeds are
released. In a few species the cones are serotinous,
i.e., the mature cones remain on the tree unopened
for several seasons before releasing their seeds,

Buds: Size and shape variable; bud scales imbricated:

resinous or nonresinous.
*
P. monophylia (in southwestern U.S.) has but a single needle.
 49
Remarks: The pines are found worldwide
in the
Northern Hemisphere. (Two species extend
below the
equator in the East Indies.) If any group of trees is
to be labelled as being the most important,
it would
be the pines. There are over 80 species of pine,
41 of
which are native to the United States. Eight species
are indigenous to Oregon, four to Washington, and
18 to California.
Uses: A list of the commercial uses of the pines
would
run to several hundred items. Some principal
uses
include: lumber for general construction, boxes
and
crates, pattern stock; wood fiber for pulp
and paper
manufacture; poles, piling, mine timbers, crosstie
s;
distillation of the resins and wood for turpent
ine,
rosin, wood tar, and oil; and pine-leaf oil for medici-
nal and pharmaceutical uses. The seeds of several
species are edible and are sold commercially.
Natural Enemies: Numerous natural enemies
attack the
pines. Here in the West considerable loss is incurred
each year from bark beetles and diseases. Among the
most important beetles are Dendroctonus montico
lae,
the mountain pine beetle; and /ps spp., the pine
engravers. Among the diseases having the pines as
hosts are Arceuthobium spp., the dwarf mistleto
es;
and a large variety of heart rots. Elytroderma
deformans, needle blight, is an enemy of pondero
sa
and lodgepole pines; and Cronartium ribicola, white-
pine blister rust, is a devastating enemy of all white
(5-needle) pines.

SUBGENERA OF PINES
yellow pines white pines
Cones: dorsal umbos; Cones: terminal umbos;
armed. unarmed.
Leaves: 2or 3 per bundle; | Leaves: 5 per bundle;
usually long and/or thick; usually short, slender;
bundle sheaths persistent. bundle sheaths
deciduous.
Twigs: scaly (scale-leaves Twigs: smooth (scale-
persistent). leaves deciduous).
 50
yellow pines white pines
Intolerant (rarely Intermediate tolerance.
intermediate).
Wood: abrupt transition Wood: gradual transition
from springwood to from springwood to
summerwood. summerwood.

KEY TO NINE SPECIES OF PINE

1. Needles 5 per fascicle. Cones have terminal

umbos. (white pines) 2

1. Needles 2 or 3 per fascicle. Cones have dorsal

umbos. (yellow pines) 5

2. White lines of bloom on all needle surfaces;

cone scales thick. 3

2. White lines of bloom on ventral (inner) surfaces

only. Cone scales thin, flexible. P. monticola

3. Needles 2-1/2” to 4” long, flexible, apex pointed;

bark rough, scaly, reddish. Cones over 9” long.
P. lambertiana

3. Needles 1-1/2’ to 3’ long, stout, clustered near the

ends of the branches; bark not red. Cones less than
8” long. 4

4. Cones stay closed, egg-shaped, 1-1/2" to 3”

long; purplish to brown; scales thick and with
spurlike apex; bark thin, brownish-white to
grayish-white, scaly. P. albicaulis

4, Cones open when mature, elongated, 3-1/2’ to

7’ long, yellowish to yellowish-brown; scale
tips thick, often reflexed; bark dark and blocky
on mature trees. P. flexilis
 51
5. Needles 1-1/2’ to 3” long, 2 per fascicle, dark
green to yellow-green, often twisted; cones small,
recurved on branch, persist. P. contorta
5. Needles 3” to 11’ long, 3 or 2 and 3 per fascicle;
cones 3” long or longer. 6
6. Cones with knoblike apophyses, asymmetrical,
recurved on branches, in clusters, persist
unopened. Needles 3” to 7” long, in 3's,
yellow-green, flexible. P. attenuata
6. Cone apophyses not knoblike. Needles yellow-
green to blue-green, 4 to 11” long, in 2’s or 3's. 7
7. Cones have very well rounded apophyses; leaves
4” to 5" long, slender, bundles of 2's and 3’s on
each tree. P. radiata
7. Cones have flat apophyses; leaves 5” to 11” long,
thick, mostly 3 per bundle. 8
8. Cones 5’’ to 9” long, broad; needles blue-green
to green; purplish-white to bluish-white bloom
on new twigs. P. jefferyi
8. Cones 3” to 5” long; needles yellow-green; new
twigs olive-brown. P. ponderosa

Pinus monticola Dougl.

western white pine
Habit: Tree 120’ to 180’ tall and 2’ to 4’ in diameter,
with a long cylindrical bole that is commonly free of
branches for 1/3 to 1/2 its length. The state tree of
Idaho.
Needles: 5 per fascicle, 2’' to 4’’ long, blue-green,
slender and flexible, with white line of stomatal
bloom on the ventral (inner) surfaces only; apex blunt:
sheath deciduous; leaves persist 3 to 4 years.
Cones: 5” to 12” long, cylindrical, thin-scaled, usually
curved; apophyses yellowish-brown to brown; inner
surface dark brown; umbo terminal and unarmed.
5 |
Twigs: Moderately stout, brown to gray, buds 1/4’’ to
1/3” long, apex acute, with yellowish-brown imbricate
|
scales, loose at the tips.

Bark: Grayish-green, thin and smooth on young trees,

resin blisters evident. On older trees the bark is dark
gray to purplish-gray, broken into square or rectangu-
lar blocks, seldom over 1-1/2” thick.

Habitat and Range: Found in the mountains on a variety

of soils; but does best where soil is moist and well-
drained. Ranges from southern British Columbia
south to central
California and western
Nevada, also north-
eastern Oregon and
the Inland Empire.
Elevational range
2,000 to 10,000 feet.

Uses: Building
construction, matches,
boxes, millwork,
CURVED
&SHORTER
pattern stock.

Remarks: The largest and finest

stands composed predomi- sugar western
nantly of western white pine Pine white pine
are found in northern Idaho.
Elsewhere it occurs in mixture with other conifers.
Attacked by white pine blister rust. Distinguished
from Pinus lambertiana by grayer bark, blunter
needles, and erect appearance of the foliage.

Pinus lambertiana Dougl.

sugar pine
Habit: Largest of the pines. 150’ to over 200’ tall, and
2‘ to 7’ in diameter. Distinguishing characters include
red, ridged bark; cylindrical bole free of branches for
much of its length, and topped by an open crown
 53
composed of a few long, nearly horizontal, branches,
with long cones, mostly solitary, hanging from the
ends of these branches.

Needles: 5 per fascicle, 2’ to 4” long, blue-green, sharp-

pointed; white lines of stomatal bloom on all surfaces;
sheath deciduous; needles frequently tend to droop;
persist 2 to 3 years.
Cones: 10’ to 18’, sometimes longer, cylindrical,
thick-scaled, stalked; apophyses yellowish-brown;
inner surface brown; umbo terminal, unarmed, com-
monly pitchy. Seeds 1/2” to 5/8” long.
Twigs: Moderately stout, grayish-yellowish-brown and
minutely hairy; buds about 1/4” long, round at the
tip, scales yellowish-brown.
Bark: Thin, grayish-green and smooth on young trees;
but begins to break up and roughen while the tree is
still small. On old trees the bark is 1-1/2” to 3”
thick, with reddish, narrow, broken, scaly ridges
separated by deep furrows.

Habitat & Range: Occurs on a wide variety of soils in

the mountains, usually in mixture with ponderosa
pine, Douglas-fir, white fir, incense-cedar, and other
conifers, never in pure stands. Ranges from Santiam
Pass in the north-central Cascade Mountains in
Oregon, southward through the Sierra Nevada
Mountains in California and western Nevada, and
into northern Baja California. Elevational range:
2,000 to 9,000 feet.

Uses: Building construction, boxes and crates, sash,

doors, blinds, interior and exterior trim, siding, Panels,
matches, and pattern stock.

Remarks: Attacked by white pine blister rust. Tree

wounds secrete a sweet and sugary exudate which had
cathartic properties. Seeds of sugar pine were
formerly carried by Indians as emergency rations.
Intermediate tolerance.
54
Pinus flexilis James
limber pine

Habit: A high-altitude Rocky Mountain white pine.

Usually a short, much-branched tree 25’ to 50’ tall,
and 1/ to 2-1/2’ in diameter. The branches are tough
and flexible with the needles clustered near the ends.

Needles: 5 per fascicle, 2’’ to 3” long, stout, dark green

to yellow-green, with white lines of stomatal bloom
on all surfaces (not always distinct); apex blunt;
persist 4 to 6 years. Sheath deciduous.

Cones: 3-1/2’ to 7” long, ovoid-cylindrical, bright green,

but becoming yellowish-brown at maturity; scale tips
thickened and often slightly reflexed; umbo terminal,
unarmed; cones stalked.

Bark: Thin, greenish-gray to light brown on smaller

trees; dark grayish-brown on old trees, furrowed and
broken into rectangular blocks, 1 1/2’ to 2” thick.

Habitat & Range: Occurs on dry, rocky soils; but does

best on moist, well-drained sites, on subalpine slopes
and ridges. Ranges from southeastern British
Columbia and southern Alberta, southward through
the Rocky Mountains, the Southwest, central and
southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, and northeastern
Oregon and the Black Hills; also northern Mexico.
Elevational range: 7,000 to 10,500 feet.

Uses: None, except locally for mine timbers and

railroad ties.

Remarks: Small branches very flexible. Occurs singly

or in small pure stands; but more commonly found
associated with lodgepole pine and mountain hem-
lock. Attacked by white pine blister rust.
 55
Pinus albicaulis Engelm.
whitebark pine
Habit: A high-altitude white pine of the Pacific states;
20’ to 50’ tall, and 1’ to 2’ in diameter, often with a
distorted bole, especially near timberline. Bark
grayish-white; needles clustered near tips of branches.

Needles: 1-1/2’’ to 3’’ long, somewhat stiff, green to

yellow-green, with indistinct lines of white stomatal
bloom on all surfaces; in fascicles of 5; sheath
deciduous; leaves persist 4 to 8 years.

Cones: 1-1/2" to 3” long, broadly ovoid, purplish-

brown when mature; scales thick; umbo terminal,
pointed but unarmed. The cones fall from the tree
unopened, and the seeds germinate in the disinte-
grating cone.

Bark: Usually less than 1/2” thick, grayish-white to

brownish-white or grayish-brown; scaly; inner bark
reddish-brown.

Habitat & Range: Found on subalpine slopes and

ridges, usually on rocky soils. Ranges from central
British Columbia to southwestern Alberta, south-
ward through the Cascade Mountains of Washington
and Oregon, and the Sierra Nevada Mountains to
central California and western Nevada; also in the
Rocky Mountains in Montana and Wyoming.
Elevational range: 5,000 to 11,000 feet.

Uses: No commercial uses. Seeds large, eaten by humans

and rodents.

Remarks: Susceptible to white pine blister rust.

Pinus jeffreyi Grev. & Balf.

Jeffrey pine
Habit: 80’ to 140’ tall and 3’ to 4’ in diameter; thick,
straight, cylindrical bole; orange-brown or
56
reddish-brown scaly bark; superficially very similar to
ponderosa pine, but has larger cones, redder bark, and
pitch with a fruity odor.

Needles: 3(occasionally 2) per fascicle, 5“ to 11” long,

dark blue-green, often twisted, persisting 5 to 8 years;
sheath persistent.

Cones: 5‘ to 9” long occasionally longer, ovoid, broad,

sessile; apophyses purplish-red, becoming dark reddish-
brown; umbo dorsal, armed with a recurved prickle.

Twigs: New twigs covered with a purplish-white bloom.

Cut or bruised twigs emit a sweet fruity odor.

Bark: Young bark similar to that of ponderosa pine;

brown to nearly black, ridged and furrowed. Mature
bark in broad, flat, scaly plates, orange-red to
-cinnamon-red in color.

Habitat & Range: Occurs on a wide variety of soils,

including serpentine soils. Does best on gravelly to
sandy, moist, well-drained sites, either in pure stands
or mixed with ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, sugar
pine, white and red firs, and incense cedar. Ranges
from south-central Cascade Mountains in Oregon,
southward through the Sierra Nevada Mountains of
California and extreme western Nevada, occurs also
in northern Baja California. Elevational Range:
3,000 to 9,500 feet.

Uses: Sold along with and as ponderosa pine.

Remarks: Wood contains the hydrocarbon “heptane,”

which is not found in ponderosa pine. Will endure
greater extremes of climate than ponderosa pine.
The bark beetle Dendroctonus Jeffreyi commonly
attacks this species but avoids ponderosa pine.
 57
Pinus ponderosa Laws.

ponderosa pine
Habit: Very important large
timber tree 125’ to 180’
tall, and 3’ to 6’ in diameter.
Open crown of green to
yellow-green foliage clustered
out near the branch
ends. Yell ow-brown bark
in scaly plates. State tree
of Montana.
Needles: 3, sometimes 2, per
fascicle, 5 to 10” long,
green to yellow-green,
flexible; persist about 3
years. Sheath persistent.

Cones: 3” to 5“ long (mostly

3” to 4’), ovoid, green to NEEDLES May
BE IN 2'S
purplish-brown just
before maturity, but
turning brown; sessile;
umbo dorsal, armed Ponderosa pine
with a straight prickle.

Twigs: Stout; new twigs olive-drab, yello

wish, or tannish-
green.

Bark: Young bark brownto nearly black, ridged and

furrowed, eventually turning
yellowish-brown in the
furrows near the base of the tree, and gradu
ally
spreading over the ridges and up
the bole. On old
trees the bark is yellowish-brown
in broad, flat, scaly
plates and deep furrows. The scales look like jigsaw
puzzle parts.

Habitat & Range: Grows on a

wide variety of soils, and
under varying moisture conditions
, but most com-
. monly found on dry, sandy, or
gravelly soils,
Ponderosa pine occurs in every
state from the Rocky
Mountains to the Pacific Coast,
also in the Black Hills
of South Dakota, and from south
ern British Columbia
58
to northern Mexico. Elevational range: as low as 200
feet on the floor of the Willamette Valley, and up to
9,000 feet in the San Jacinto Mountains in California.
Intolerant.

Uses: Millwork, boxes and crates, furniture, piling, poles,

mine timbers, and general construction. It is probably
the most important millwork and general-use species
because of the large volume available and its
versatility.

Remarks: Ponderosa pine has the most extensive range

of any western coniferous species and is second only
to Douglas-fir in the volume of sawtimber. It is the
most important timber species in the vast region lying
west of the Great Plains and east of the summit of the
Cascades and east of the Coast Range of California.
It forms extensive pure stands, on drier sites, and also
occurs in mixture with western larch, Douglas-fir,
white fir, lodgepole pine, sugar pine, Jeffrey pine,
incense cedar, and other conifers.
Bark beetles that attack ponderosa Pine include
Dendroctonus brevicomis that attacks mature pines,
and Dendroctonus monticolae that kills younger
pines. Porcupines deform pines by girdling. Dwarf
mistletoe weakens trees. Heart rots, however, are not
a serious problem with ponderosa pine.

Pinus contorta Doug}.

lodgepole pine shore pine
Habit: A tree 30’ to 100’ tall and 1’ to 2’ in diameter.
Near the Pacific Ocean this species is often malformed,
twisted, and contorted by the winds, and at times is
no more than a large, bushy shrub. In the mountains
it is often found in pure stands and has a straight,
clear, cylindrical bole free of branche’ for much of
its length.
Needles: 2 per fascicle, 1-1/2” to 3” long, green to
yellow-green, stiff and commonly twisted; persist 4 to
8 years; sheath persistent. Other than Bishop pine,
 59
P. muricata, found in the Coast Range of California,
it is the only 2-needle pine native to western United
States.

Cones: 1” to 2” long, ovoid-conical; base asymmetrical;

apophyses yellowish-brown to brown, often slightly
raised on one side near the base; umbo dorsal, armed
with a deciduous prickle.
The cones are recurved on
the twig. Some of the
cones will release their
seeds shortly after matur-
ing; others may remain
unopened several years.
Both closed and open
cones can be found on
the trees at all times.
%
Bark: Thin, dark, scaly baie coves
(flaky), usually not i
thicker than 1”, lodgepole pine
Habitat & Range: Found on moist sandy and gravelly
soils, in the dunes near the coast, coastal swamps, and
northern bogs, and in the mountains at middle and
higher elevations. Ranges from the Rocky Mountains
to the Pacific Coast, and from the Yukon and south-
eastern Alaska southward into northern Baja Califor-
nia; also in the Black Hills. Elevational range: sea
level to 11,500 feet. This pine occurs in the greatest
range of altitudes and latitudes of any North American
conifer.
Uses: Lumber, mine timbers, railroad ties, poles, boxes
and crates, log buildings construction, corral poles,
and pulpwood.
Remarks: Intolerant. Forms extensive pure stands.
Stagnation in dense young stands very common.
Associated species include ponderosa pine, Jeffrey
pine, western white pine, mountain hemlock, red fir,
alpine fir, and western larch. Important in the pro-
tection of the high watersheds. Along the coast it is
resistant to salt spray.
60
Pinus attenuata Lemm.

knobcone pine

Habit: Tree 40’ to 80’ tall, and up to 2’ in diameter;

usually of poor form.

Needles: 3 per fascicle, 3’’ to 7” long, green or yellow-

green, slender and flexible; sometimes twisted.

Cones: 4” to 6” long, ovoid-conic, yellowish-brown,

asymmetrical at base; apophyses near the base and on
one side of the cone raised and knoblike; umbos
dorsal and initially armed with a minute prickle. The
cones are recurved on the twigs, 3 to 6 in a cluster;
they persist indefinitely on the tree unopened. Will
open following a fire.

Bark: On the upper bole and larger branches thin,

gray-orange-brown or gray-reddish-brown, with small,
flaky scales; on the base of old trees gray-reddish-
brown, furrowed, with superficially scaly, flattened
ridges.

Habitat & Range: Usually on dry, rocky, sandy, or

gravelly soils in the sun. Ranges from the Umpqua-
Willamette Divide in southwestern Oregon southward
to northwestern Baja California. Will occupy drier
sites than any other native Oregon pine.

Uses: Used locally for fuel.

Remarks: Aggressive on burns. It usually takes a fire to

open the cones. Older trees are commonly forked.

Pinus radiata D. Don

Monterey pine
Remarks: A California tree, occasionally planted in
western Oregon and Washington, and extensively
planted in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
 61
In these Southern Hemisphere countries it is now a
very important, fast-growing, timber tree.

Habit: Tree 60’ to 90’ tall, and 1-1/2’ to 2’ in diameter,

sometimes larger.

Needles: Fascicles of 2 and fascicles of 3 occur on each

tree with equal frequency. The needles are about 4”
to 5-1/2’ long, very slender, bright green or blue-
green.

Cones: 3-1/2’ to 4-1/2” long, broad, with very well

rounded apophyses. Cones remain on tree many
years and stayed closed for 6 to 10 years.

Habitat & Range: Intermediate tolerance. Native to

only 3 areas in the mid-California coast, to islands off
the coast of southern California, and to Guadalupe
Island off the coast of Mexico. Required high
humidity is maintained by summer fogs.

Cedrus Loud.
cedar
Remarks: The true cedars are Asian and African timber
trees that are often planted as ornamentals in
Oregon, California, and Washington. Their wood is
durable, attractive, and easily worked.

Habit: Evergreen coniferous trees 70’ to 200’ tall and

2’ to 5’ in diameter. One might describe a cedar as
an “‘evergreen larch with true-fir cones.’ The leaf
arrangement is clustered like that of larch (which has
deciduous leaves) and the cones are large, erect, and
with deciduous scales like those of the true firs,

Leaves: Persistent, 1/2’ to 2’ long pointed, needle-like

or linear, triangular in cross-section; borne singly
and spirally on current year’s growth. thereafter in
tuftlike clusters on spur shoots; color varies from
yellow-green to dark blue-green or glaucous.
62
Flowers: Monoecious. Staminate strobiles (cones) erect,
up to 2-1/2” long and 1/2" in diameter; young
pistillate cones erect, green.
Cones: Erect, barrel-shaped, 2 to 5” long and 2/3 as
wide, with closely appressed, spirally arranged imbri-
cate scales; cones borne throughout the crown, and
fall apart scale-by-scale while still on the tree.
Sometimes resinous.
Bark: Dark gray, soon separating into small plates, giving
a checkered appearance. Eventually becomes ridged.

KEY TO THE TRUE CEDARS

1. Leaves 1‘’ to 2’’ long (mostly over 1-1/4’), usually

yellow-green; slender, soft, needle-like in shape;
branchlets and leader drooping. C. deodara
1. Leaves 1/2” to 1-1/4” long (mostly 3/4” to 1°’),
linear, blue-green or with glaucous bloom; leaves
and branches stiff (not soft or pendulous). 2
2. Leaves 1/2’ to 1‘‘ long, blue-green or glaucous;
cones 2" to 3” long. C. atlantica
2. Leaves 3/4” to 1-1/4” long, usually dark blue-
green; cones 3”' to 4” long. C. libani

Cedrus deodara (Roxb.) Loud. (deodar cedar) is native

to the Himalayas in northern India. It is the tallest of
the true cedars and is a valuable timber tree and a
graceful ornamental. Rudyard Kiplin’s ‘‘Under the
Deodars”’ refers to this tree.

Cedrus libani A. Rich. (cedar of Lebanon) is native to

Asia Minor and the Lebanon Mountains of Syria.
This is the tree whose wood was used to construct
Solomon's temple.
Cedrus atlantica Manetti. (Atlas cedar) is native to the
Atlas Mountains of Morocco, in northern Africa. This
tree is very much like Cedar of Lebanon, except that
its leaves and cones are usually slightly shorter.
 63
Larix Mill.
larch

Habit: Moist-site, intolerant coniferous trees with

deciduous leaves borne in clusters on spur shoots.

Leaves: Deciduous, soft, linear; borne singly and spirally

on the current year’s twigs, thereafter in dense
clusters of 12 to 40 or more on spur shoots; leaves
flat, or ridged on one or both surfaces.

Flowers: Monoecious. Staminate strobiles (cones)

round to oblong, yellow to yellow-green; pistillate
cones erect, bright red when young.

Cones: 1/2“ to 2’ long, oblong to subglobose, erect,

stalked; scales thin and stiff; bracts longer or shorter
than the scales; mature in one season, but persist
indefinitely on the tree.

Twigs: Scaly. New twigs ridged or grooved; raised leaf

scars On youngest twigs; spur shoots abundant on
older branches.

Remarks: Larix is one of the few genera of conifers that

have deciduous foliage. The arrangement and
appearance of the leaves is very much like that of
Cedrus (cedar), which is evergreen. All larches are
found in the cooler regions of the Northern Hemis-
phere.
64
KEY TO NORTHWESTERN LARCHES

Leaves flattened-triangular in cross section,

yellow-green; cones 1“ to 1-1/2” long, with bracts
slightly longer than cone scales. Young twigs
smooth or with a few hairs. L. occidentalis

Leaves 4-angled in cross section, yellow-green to

blue-green; cones 1-1/2” to 2” long, with bracts much
longer than cone scales. Young twigs densely woolly.
L. lyallii

Larix occidentalis Nutt.

western larch
Habit A large tree 100‘-180’ tall, and 3’-4’ in diameter;
with soft, feathery foliage borne in clusters on spur
shoots.

Needles: Deciduous, 1’-1-3/4“ long, linear; yellow-

green, turning golden yellow in the fall: flattened-
triangular in cross section.
Twigs: New twigs light colored, may be slightly hairy,
but becoming smooth by the second year; yellowish-
brown; bud scales slightly hairy.
Cones: Ovoid-oblong, 1’’-1-1/2’' long, light brown:
scales reflexed, with the apex finely toothed;
shouldered bracts with central spines are longer than
the cone scales.
Bark: Grayish-brown, thin and scaly On young trees; on
mature trees yellowish-brown to cinnamon-brown,
3” to 6” thick, with flattened ridges separated by
deep furrows. Sometimes resembles mature bark of
ponderosa pine.
Habitat & Range: Found on moist mountain slopes, flats
and near streams. Ranges from southeastern British
Columbia southward through eastern Washington to
northern and northeastern Oregon, eastward to
western Montana.
 Uses: Lumber for general construction,
interior trim, boxes and crates, poles,
posts, ties, mine timbers, and general
millwork.

Remarks: Western larch, the largest

species in the genus Larix, attains its
largest size in western Montana and
northern Idaho. The thick bark at the
base of large trees makes it resistant to
ground fires. It is one of the first
species to seed in an area following
a fire. Occurs both in pure stands western larch
and in mixture with other intolerant conifers. It is
very intolerant and moisture demanding. Logs are
often defective because of “‘ring shake.’’

Larix lyallii Parl.

subalpine larch alpine larch
Habitat & Range: A timberline tree often growing on
rocky soils. Found at high elevations in southern
Alberta, southeastern British Columbia, eastern
Washington, and northern and western Idaho. Not
known to occur in Oregon.

Distinguishing Characteristics: Similar to L. occidentalis

in most respects, but is a smaller tree, 30’ to 40’ tall,
often stunted or distorted; also its leaves are 4-angled
in cross section, sometimes blue-green, and its cones
are longer, 1-1/2’ to 2’’, with very long bracts. New
twigs are covered with dense, white “‘wool’’; so the
tree is sometimes called ‘woolly larch’; this hair
disappears after two years. Bark at first smooth,
ashy-gray, becoming brown and separated into scaly
ridges.

Remarks: Thought to be long-lived. Found in small,

pure stands, as a scattered tree, or in mixture with
mountain hemlock, alpine fir, Engelmann spruce, and
whitebark pine.
66
Picea A. Dietr.

spruce
Habit: Tolerant, evergreen coniferous trees 50’ to 180’
tall, with pointed, pyramidal crowns, and flaky (scaly)
bark. The spirally arranged, linear leaves are often
sharp.

Leaves: Persistent, spirally arranged, linear or acicular;

4-angled, semi-circular, or flatly triangular in cross
section; sessile (lack a petiole), but borne on peg-like
projections which are part of the twigs; apex pointed;
one or all surfaces may be covered with a white
stomatal bloom.

Flowers: Monoecious. Staminate cones erect or

pendent; immature pistillate cones greenish to purple,
borne in and near the top of the tree.

Cones: Pendent, borne predominately in the top of the

tree; ripen in one growing season; scales spirally
arranged, imbricate, papery or semi-woody. Bracts
much shorter than cone scales.

Twigs: Moderately slender,

roughened with narrow,
platelike scales ending in
peglike projections (leaf
scars); buds nonresinous or
resinous; bud scales
imbricated.

Remarks: Spruces are found

in the temperate and cooler
regions of the Northern
Hemisphere. There are three
spruce
spruces native to Oregon,
and one or two others that are commonly planted.
Each of the native species occupies a different type of
habitat, and their ranges do not intermingle.
 67
KEY TO THE WESTERN SPRUCES

. Leaf apex sharp. Cone scales have erose margins. 2

. Leaf apex round or blunt, leaves semi-circular in

cross section; crown sparse; lateral branchlets very
pendulous and flexible. Cones 2-1/2” to 6” long,
with rounded scale-tips. P. breweriana

2. Leaves very sharp, stout and rigid, 4-angled in

cross section; white stomatal bloom on all sur-
faces. Cones about 4” long, with bracts
1/16” to 1/8” long. P. pungens

2. Leaves slender, not stout and rigid. Cones

1-1/2” to 3-1/2” long. 3
. Leaves about 1” long, tend to be perpendicular to
the twig; apex with a long callus tip; flat or
flattened-diamond shape in cross section. Cone
bracts slender-pointed, at least 1/3 as long as
cone scale. P. sitchensis

. Leaves about 1° long; tend to point forward; 4-

angled in cross section; emit a rank odor when
bruised. Cone bracts blunt-pointed, not over
1/3 as long as cone scales. P. engelmannii

Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.

Sitka spruce
Habit: Largest of the spruces. 125’ to 180’ tall, and 3’
to 5’ in diameter, with an open crown of somewhat
pendulous branchlets; bases of very large trees
frequently buttressed.

Leaves: 1/2’ to 1-1/8” long, linear, flat to flattened-

diamond shape in cross section; yellowish-green
with white stomatal bloom on one side; apex with
an attenuate callus tip; leaves tend to be perpendicu-
lar to the twig. A Sitka spruce leaf does not roll
easily between the fingers (test for flatness).
68
Cone: 1-1/2” to 3-1/2’ long, oblong shape; scales
yellowish-tan, papery but somewhat stiff, margins
erose.

Twigs: Current year’s twigs moderately slender, smooth,

yellowish-brown to orange-brown.

Bark: Thin and scaly on young trees; on larger trees

usually less than 1“ thick, gray (or brown) and scaly.

Habitat & Range: Moist, well-drained sites along the

coast, seldom more than 50 miles from the Pacific
Ocean and usually much less. Ranges from southern
and southeastern Alaska southward along the coast in
northern California. Elevational range: sea level to
4,000 feet in the north, seldom above 1,800 feet in
the Pacific Northwest.

Uses: Lumber for light construction, aircraft and boats;

food containers; general millwork; ladder rails, piano
sounding boards; dairy, poultry and apiary supplies.
It is the second most important pulpwood species in
the Pacific Northwest.

Remarks: A tidewater, fogbelt species. Sitka spruce

and western hemlock are the principal species in the
coastal forests of Alaska. A mixed stand of these
two species has the greatest growth rate of any of our
timber species.

Picea engelmannii Parry

Engelmann spruce
Habit: An inhabitant of the mountains, 80’ to 120’ tall,
and 1-1/2’ to 3’ in diameter, with a dense crown of
blue-green foliage.

Leaves: About 1°’ long, slender, pointed, linear, 4-

angled in cross section, soft to the touch; tend to
point forward; emit a rank odor when crushed. A
leaf rolls easily between the fingers.
 69
Cones: 1” to 2-1/2’ long, oblong, yellowish-tan in color;
scales thin and papery; scale margins erose; bract
blunt-pointed, usually not over 1/3 as long as the
scale.

Twigs: New twigs minutely hairy the first season,

moderately slender, grayish-brown.

Habitat & Range: Does best on moist, well-drained

soils, but can grow on thin soils of mountain slopes
or the wet margins of swamps, streams and lakes.
Ranges from central British Columbia and south-
western Alberta, southward through the Cascades of
Washington and Oregon into extreme northern
California, eastward into the Rocky Mountains from
central Montana to southern New Mexico. Eleva-
tional range: 1,500 to 6,000 feet in Canada; 3,500
to 10,000 feet in the Cascades; and up to 12,500
feet in the southern Rocky Mountains.

Bark: Thin, purplish to reddish-brown, with loosely

attached scales.

Uses: Principally for lumber and pulp; limited uses for

mine timbers, railroad ties and poles; also sub-
flooring, sheathing and studding.

Remarks: Found only in the inland mountains, not in

the Coast Range. It is essentially a species of the
higher altitudes and is found growing in the timber-
line zones. It forms extensive pure stands; or is often
found in mixture with lodgepole pine, mountain
hemlock, alpine fir, Alaska yellow-cedar, silver and
noble firs, and occasionally with Douglas-fir. Very
tolerant in its younger years, but becomes less so as
it ages. Usually a heavy seed producer. Prostrate
branches which become covered with soil or humus
may root.
70
Picea pungens Engelm.
Colorado blue spruce

Habit: 80’ to 100’ tall, and 1‘ to 2’ in diameter, with

a pyramidal crown of stiff branchlets; often silvery
blue in appearance. Not native to Oregon. Planted
as an ornamental.

Leaves: About 1” long, linear to acicular; 4-angled in

cross section; very sharp, stout, stiff, callus-tipped;
green, blue-green, or silvery-green, because of
glaucous bloom on all surfaces; nearly perpendicu-
lar to the twig. A leaf rolls easily between the fingers.

Cones: About 4” long, similar in appearance to Sitka

spruce and Engelmann spruce, yellowish-tan in color;
scales thin, papery, but somewhat stiff, margins
erose; bracts very short, only 1/16” to 1/8” long.

Twigs: Yellowish-brown, smooth, somewhat shiny;

moderately stout; bud scales often reflexed at the
tips.

Bark: Thin, grayish to brownish-gray, with loosely

attached scales.

Habitat & Range: Moist, well-drained sites along

streams and the middle and upper slopes of the
central Rocky Mountains from western Wyoming and
southeastern Idaho and northeastern Utah, southward
to New Mexico and eastern Arizona. Elevational
range: 6,000 to 11,000 feet.

Remarks: State tree of Colorado and Utah. Few

natural trees exhibit the blue-green or silvery-green
color that is desired by the nurserymen, hence, most
nursery stock used for ornamental planting is a
terminal cutting of blue spruce grafted onto the
roots of Norway spruce.
 71
Picea breweriana S. Wats.

Brewer spruce weeping spruce

Habit: A little-known tree distinguished by its sparse,
open crown, and long pendulous middle and lower
branches. 50’ to 80’ tall, and 1-1/2’ to 2-1/2’ in
diameter.

Leaves: 3/4’ to 1” long, flat to rounded-triangular;

white stomatal bloom on lower surface; apex round
to blunt; leaves tend to point forward on the twig.

Cones: 2-1/2’ to 6” long, oblong-cylindrical, with

rounded scale-tips; purplish-red, but becoming reddish-
brown at maturity; scales semi-woody in texture.
Similar in appearance to mountain hemlock but
usually longer.

Twigs: Pendulous, slender, flexible, and whip-like, 4’ to

8’ long; grayish brown at first slightly hairy, but
becoming smooth.

Bark: Usually less than 1’ thick, reddish-brown, and

with long, firmly attached scales.

Habitat & Range: Found on steep mountain slopes and

ridges, on dry to moist rocky soils, in the Siskiyou
Mountains of southwestern Oregon and northern
California.

Remarks: The rarest and least known American spruce.

Difficult to propagate.

Pseudotsuga Carr.
Douglas-fir
Habit: Coniferous trees with dense, pyramidal crowns;
sharp-pointed buds; cones with 3-pronged bracts that
are longer than the cone scales.

Leaves: Spirally arranged, linear, slender, flat, with two

broad, white bands of stomatal bloom on the
72
underside; apex blunt to pointed; base of leaf con-
stricted into a petiole; leaf scar small, nearly round,
half-raised.

Flowers: Monoecious. Both sexes borne throughout the

crown; staminate cones cylindrical; immature pistil-
late cones erect, reddish or green, with 3-pronged bracts
longer than the floral scales.

Cones: Pendent, ovoid-cylindrical; semi-woody scales,

subtended by 3-pronged bracts; mature in one season.

Buds: Spindle-shaped, sharp pointed; with shiny, reddish-

brown imbricated scales, which persist during the first
growing season.

Twigs: Slender; leaf scar small, oval, half-raised. Knobby

nodes.
Remarks: There are two species of Pseudotsuga native
to the Pacific Coast region of the United States and
British Columbia, three other species are found in
Formosa, Japan, and southwestern China. The lesser
species native to the United States is Pseudotsuga
macrocarpa (Vasey) Mayr, big-cone-spruce, native to
the mountains of southern California.

Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco.

Douglas-fir
Habit: A large tree 100’ to 250’ or more tall, and 3° to
6’ in diameter; with a broad, pointed, pyramidal crown
of dense foliage.
Leaves: About 1” long (1/2” to 1-1/2’’), soft, slender,
yellow-green, gray-green, or blue-green; linear and
flattened; slightly grooved above, and with 2 white
bands of stomatal bloom on the underside; apex blunt
or pointed; base constricted into a petiole; spirally
arranged, but at times may be obscurely 2-ranked.
Youngest branchlets often pendulous, especially on
mature trees.
 aes:
Cones: 3” to 4” long, ovoid-cylindrical; reddish-brown
with semi-woody scales; trident bracts longer than the
scales; pendent and borne throughout the crown.

Twigs: Young twigs at first minutely hairy but soon

becoming smooth; yellowish-green, but becoming
grayish-green with age.

Buds: About 1/4” long, spindle-shaped, pointed;

lustrous, reddish-brown, nonresinous, imbricated
scales.

Bark: On small trees gray or ashy-brown, thin, smooth,

and with resin blisters; pole-size timber grayish-brown
and somewhat mottled with
lighter colored areas, and with
broad, shallow fissures and
broad, flat ridges; on mature
trees 3’ to 10” or more thick
near the base, coarse, dark
grayish-brown, deeply and
irregularly ridged and fissured.
Inner bark 2-toned; alternating
layers of reddish-brown and
cream-colored cork. On very
old trees the bark is often " BITCHFORKS"
yellowish-brown, and super- Douglas-fir
ficially scaly. The sloughing of
the bark of very old trees may build up a mound
around the bases of the trees.

Habitat & Range: Will grow on a wide variety of soils,

but in the Douglas-fir Region of western Oregon and
Washington does best on deep, moist, sandy loams;
poorest on gravelly soils. Ranges from central British
Columbia and southwestern Alberta southward into
the mountains of northern and central Mexico, and
from the Pacific Coast to the Rocky Mountains.
Elevational range: sea level to 5,000 feet along the
coast; up to 7,200 feet in the Cascades and Sierras;
and up to 11,000 feet in the southern Rocky
74
Mountains. Douglas-fir is intermediate in tolerance,
slightly tolerant in its youth, but becoming less
tolerant with age.
Uses: Douglas-fir is the most important lumber tree in
the nation. It is the principal wood for structural
lumber and timbers; the leading veneer species for
construction grades of plywood; and used extensively
for ties, poles, piling, battery separators, flooring, gen-
eral construction. It is finding increased use in the
manufacture of pulp. There are species superior to
Douglas-fir for certain uses, but it often takes over as
an excellent substitute. Chemical derivatives of
Douglas-fir bark include tannin, waxes, and dihydro-
quercetin (a food preservative). More than 20% of the
sawtimber volume in the United States is Douglas-fir.
Remarks: Two forms of Douglas-fir are recognized, the
Pacific Coast form, P. menziesii, and the Rocky
Mountain form, P. menziesii glauca. Occurs in even-
aged stands, or in mixture with western hemlock;
grand, silver, noble and white firs; ponderosa pine,
western larch and other species. It is the most com-
mon and the most abundant species in the Pacific
Northwest.

Tsuga (Endl.) Carr.

hemlock
Habit: Tolerant, moist-site coniferous trees with
pyramidal crowns, pendulous branchlets, and drooping
leader.

Leaves: Persistent, linear, soft; spirally agranged, but

frequently 2-ranked; flattened or thickened in cross
section; apex round, and occasionally notched, or
acute; base of the needle constricted to about the
width of the midrib to form a petiole.
 75
Flowers: Monoecious. Staminate cones axillary on pre-
vious season’s growth; pistillate cones terminal.
Cones: Oblong to oblong-cylindrical, pendent; scales
thin and semi-woody; mature in one season.
Twigs: Very slender, smooth or pubescent; roughened
by slender, diagonally raised pegs to which the leaves
are attached; buds small, and about 1/16” long, and
covered with brown, imbricated scales.

Bark: Inner bark purplish-red to chocolate-red; rich in

tannin.
Remarks: Hemlocks are found on moist sites in the
temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. They
are subject to attack by numerous insects and dis-
eases. Because of their thin bark, hemlocks are easily
damaged during logging. Very tolerant. There are
four species of hemlock indigenous to the United
States, two are native to the East and two are found
in the West.

KEY TO HEMLOCKS
Leaves flat, varying in length; tend to be 2-ranked,
yellow-green. Cones 3/4” to 1°’ long. T. heterophylla
Leaves thickened, not 2-ranked; blue-green. Cones
1-1/4” to 3” long. T. mertensiana

Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.

\
western hemlock
Habit: Large trees 125’ to 200’ tall, and 2’ to 4’ in
diameter; with a pyramidal crown of somewhat
pendulous branches and fine foliage.
Leaves: 1/4’ to 3/4” long, linear, flat; dark glossy
green and grooved above, with 2 white bands of
stomatal bloom on the underside; apex round; short
petiole; varying length of leaves conspicuous, the
shorter ones arising from the top of the twig; tend
to be 2-ranked.
76
Cones: 3/4’ to 1° long, oblong,
pendent, sessile; purplish-red but
becoming reddish-brown at
maturity; scales thin, semi-woody;
borne throughout the crown;
mature in one season.

Twigs: Slender, flexible, minutely

pubescent; roughened by raised,
peglike leaf scars.
DROOPY TOP
Bark: Thin, superficially scaly, western hemlock
brown to black on small trees;
on old trees about 1” thick, with flattened ridges;
inner bark dark red streaked with purple.

Habitat & Range: Does best on deep, moist, well-drained

soils. Ranges from southern Alaska southward through
western and southeastern British Columbia through
western Washington to northwestern California,
eastward through northern Idaho and western
Montana. Elevational range: sea level to 2,700 feet in
Alaska; sea level to 5,000 feet in British Columbia; sea
level to 6,000 feet in Oregon and Washington.

Uses: Pulp, lumber for general construction, aircraft

veneer, plywood. Bark is a source of tannin.

Remarks: Very tolerant throughout its life. Found in

pure stands but most common in mixture with other
species. Common associates include Douglas-fir,
western redcedar, western white pine, grand fir, silver
fir, noble fir, mountain hemlock and Alaska yellow-
cedar. Thin bark makes it very susceptible to logging
and fire damage. Western hemlock is the principal
pulpwood species in the Pacific Northwest.
 ua)
Tsuga mertensiana (Bong.) Carr.
mountain hemlock
Habit: Coniferous tree 60’ to 100’ tall, and 2’ to 3’ in
diameter; with a pyramidal crown of drooping
branches and dense foliage.

Leaves: 1/2’’ to 3/4” long, linear, thickened (flatly

triangular); dark green to blue-green with white
stomatal bloom on all surfaces; apex blunt; petiole
short, spirally arranged about the twig, but densest on
the upper side; on the very short lateral branchlets the
leaves appear to be grouped in starlike clusters.
Cones: 1-1/4’ to 3” long, oblong-cylindrical, sessile;
dark purplish-red but turning brown when mature:
pendent, but occasionally may be erect; scales thin,
semi-woody; borne in the upper portion of the crown.
Resemble the cones of Picea breweriana, Brewer
spruce, but are smaller and have conspicuous radial
lines on the scales.

Twigs: Slender, or moderately stout when slow growing;

light reddish-brown in color and covered with a
minute pubescence; numerous short lateral twigs on
the main branches.
Bark: Begins to break up early in life; on larger trees dull
purplish-brown to dark reddish-brown, with narrow
rounded ridges; about 1” to 1-1/2” thick.
Habitat & Range: Usually a tree of high elevations or the
cooler exposures of the middle slopes. It does best on
moist, coarse, well-drained soils. Ranges from south-
ern Alaska southward to central California, and east
to northeastern Oregon, northern Idaho and western
Montana. Elevational range: sea level to 3,200 feet
in Alaska; 2,000 to 5,500 feet in British Columbia;
4,000 to 9,500 feet in the Cascade Mountains; and
* 6,000 to 11,000 feet in California.

Uses: Formerly not considered a commercial species.

Mountain hemlock has recently come into its own
and is being used for pulp and general construction.
78
Remarks: Very tolerant. Does best on northern expo-
sures. Commonly found in mixture with lodgepole
pine, alpine and noble firs, Douglas-fir and Engelmann
spruce. Bark rich in tannin.

Abies Mill.
fir
Habit: Tall, erect-coned, evergreen, moist-site trees with
dense, conical crowns. The true firs usually have a
stiff, formal, layered appearance, because of the
tendency of the branches to divide, re-divide, and
subdivide, as many as seven times all in one plane.

Leaves: Linear, borne singly, spirally arranged, but

usually clustered on the upper side of the twig; in
some species 2-ranked; somewhat stiff, flattened or
thickened in cross section; lines of white stomatal
bloom on one or both surfaces; sessile (foliage slightly
constricted at the base, but lacks a petiole). Leaves
on cone-bearing (upper) branches are not typical.

Flowers: Monoecious. Staminate cones pendent,

cylindrical, borne on the underside of the branches in
the middle and upper crown; immature pistillate cone:
erect, borne near the tip of the tree.

Cones: Borne erect in the top of the tree; bracts longer

or shorter than the cone scales, if longer they are fre-
quently reflexed; disintegrate when mature leaving an
erect axis that may persist until the next spring;
mature in one season.

Twigs: Smooth and a bit shiny, or pubescent; leaf scars

large, round, flat; buds round to ovoid, more or less
resinous (some exceptions), frequently in 3's at the
tip of the twigs.

Bark: Resin blisters conspicuous on the bark of young

trees.
 79
Remarks: Seven of the 12 true firs indigenous to the
United States are native to the Pacific states.

KEY TO WESTERN FIRS

1. Leaves on underside of twig are hockey-stick-
shaped, the base tending to parallel the twig; leaves
4-angled in cross section (flatly diamond-shaped on
lower branches), tend to point upward. Young
twigs reddish. Cones 4” to 9” long and 2” to 3”
in diameter. RED FIRS 2

1. Leaves straight, flat; do not parallel the twig; may

be 2-ranked or concentrated on upper side of twig.
Young twigs not reddish. Cones mostly 2’’ to 4”
long (occasionally longer), and less than 2” in
diameter (up to 2-1/2’ diameter in Abies amabilis;
mostly 3/4” to 1-3/4” in other species).
WHITE FIRS 4
2. Leaves grooved on upper surface (sometimes
flat). Outside of cone almost completely
covered with ends of long bracts. A. procera
2. Leaves ridged on upper surface (occasionally
flat). Outside of cone no more than half
covered with ends of long bracts. Bracts may
be shorter than cone scales. 3)
3. Bracts shorter than cone scales. A. magnifica
3. Bracts longer than cone scales, arranged in spiral
rows A. magnifica shastensis
4. White bloom on all leaf surfaces. 5
4. White bloom on lower leaf surfaces only; upper
surface lustrous green.
5. Leaves erect, about 1°’ long. A. lasiocarpa
5. Leaves tend to be 2-ranked; may curve out and
upward in a boat-rib pattern; bloom on the upper
surface at times may be seen in the groove only.
A. concolor
80
6. Leaves 2-ranked and of unequal length. Cones
cylindrical. A. grandis
6. Leaves crowded on upper side of the twig; tend
to point forward, sideward, and diagonally
upward. Cones barrel-shaped. Buds heavily
resinous. A. amabilis

Abies amabilis (Doug!.) Forbes

Pacific silver fir silver fir
Habit: Coniferous tree with a long conical crown of
dense foliage; thin, mottled ashy-gray to chalky-white
bark. Size 100’ to 180’ tall and 2’ to 4’ in diameter.
Leaves: 3/4’ to 1-1/4” long, linear, flat, dark lustrous
green and grooved above, silvery-white below; apex
rounded and usually notched; spirally arranged, but
clustered 6n the upper side of the twig and tending
to point forward, sideward, and diagonally upward;
foliage on cone-bearing branches thicker, pointed,
stomatiferous on all surfaces and tending to be erect.

Cones: 3-1/2’ to 6” long, cylindrical to barrel-shaped;

purplish to purplish-brown in color; bracts shorter
than the scales, round shouldered, gradually narrow-
ing to a point.

Twigs: Moderately stout, fairly stiff; yellowish-brown,

covered with very short inconspicuous hairs when
new; buds spherical, purple under the pitch, usually
in 3's at the tip of the twig, very densely pitched over.

Bark: Gray-green, smooth and with resin blisters on

young trees; older trunks have thin, mottled ashy-gray
to chalky-white bark that is superficially scaly; on very
old trees the bark may be furrowed near the base.

Habitat & Range: Occurs on moist, well-drained, sand

and gravelly soils from southeastern Alaska southward
through western British Columbia, and western
 81
Washington and Oregon, also local area in north-
western California. Elevational range: sea level to
1,000 feet in Alaska; sea level to 5,000 feet in British
Columbia; and 1,000 to 6,500 feet in Washington and
Oregon.
Uses: Lumber for general construction.
Remarks: May occasionally be found in small, pure
stands, but more commonly found in mixture with
western hemlock, noble fir, grand fir, Douglas-fir and
western redcedar; and in the upper elevations with
mountain hemlock, Engelmann spruce, whitebark pine,
Alaska yellow-cedar and lodgepole pine. Moderately
tolerant. Seed germinates on duff or mineral soil.

Abies concolor (Gord. & Glend.) Lindl.

white fir
Habit: Coniferous tree up to 200’ tall and 3’ to 5’ in
diameter.

Leaves: 1-1/2’ to 3 long, linear, flat to slightly rounded

on the upper surface; yellowish-green to green, with
a white line of bloom in a groove on the top side,
and 2-ranked; or silvery blue-green and tending to
turn upward like the ribs of a boat; apex round or
bluntly pointed.

Cones: 3” to 5“ long, oblong to barrel-shaped; olive-

brown in color; bracts shorter than the scales; very
similar in appearance to A. grandis, grand fir.

Twigs: Moderately slender, yellowish-green to olive-

brown and smooth; buds usually in 3’s, the center
bud is the most prominent, covered with a light gray
pitch.

Habitat & Range: Occurs on moist, well-drained, coarse

soils, or on dry soils, in the mountains. Primarily a
tree of southwestern United States; most common in
82
Rocky Mountains and Sierras. Ranges from north-
eastern and central Oregon southward into Lower
California, eastward to western Wyoming and southern |
New Mexico. Elevational range: 3,000 to 8,000 feet
in Oregon; and 3,800 to 10,000 feet in California. :

Uses: General construction, boxes and crates, millwork,

and pulpwood.

Bark: On young trees greenish-gray, thin and smooth, |

with resin blisters; on old trees ashy-gray and
thick, with roughened, flattened ridges and irregular
furrows; the inner bark is two-toned, with alternating
layers of dark reddish-brown and light tan cork. The :
inner bark resembles that of Douglas-fir.

Remarks: The thick bark near the base of the tree makes |
it somewhat fire-resistant. White fir requires less
moisture than any of the other western true firs. The
seeds germinate satisfactorily on a variety of sites. It
is very susceptible to diseases from pole size to
maturity. It is very tolerant, especially in younger
stages, hence it frequently replaces less tolerant pines
in mixed stands. Seldom occurs in pure stands, but
found associated with ponderosa and sugar pines,
Douglas-fir, alpine and California red firs, incense-
cedar and aspen.

Abies grandis (Dougl.) Lindl.

grand fir lowland white fir
Habit: A large conifer 125‘ to 250’ tall, and 2’ to 6’ in
diameter; with a long, narrow open crown that is
rounded or flat-topped.

Leaves: 3/4’ to 2” long, linear; lustrous dark yellow-

green and grooved on the upper side, and with two
bands of white stomatal bloom on the underside; apex
is rounded and notched; the leaves arise from all sides
of the twigs, but due to a twist in the bases they
appear to arise from the sides of the twigs; the leaf
 83
lengths vary; 2-ranked; the leaves in the middle and
upper Crown may tend to be erect, and on fertile
branches they may be pointed.

Twigs: Brown to reddish-brown, initially with minute

light brown hairs; buds resinous.

Bark: 2” to 3” thick on mature trees, furrowed,

with flattened ridges; ashy-brown in color and
mottled with lighter-colored areas, inner bark dark
purplish-red.

Cones: Cylindrical, 2-1/2” to

4” long, green to greenish-
purple.

Habitat & Range: Usually

found on moist situations
on mountain slopes and in
the valleys and bottom-
lands. Ranges from southern
British Columbia southward
on the west of the Cascade
Mountains into northwestern
California, eastward through ;
northern Idaho and western grand fir
Montana. Elevational range: sea level to 6,000 feet.

Uses: General construction, boxes and crates, millwork,

and pulpwood.

Remarks: In Oregon, grand fir is widely distributed from

the upper mountains down through the lowland
valleys. It is the only true fir found at sea level in the
state. Grand fir seldom occurs in Pure stands, but is
usually in mixture with other conifers, or in the low-
lands with hardwoods. It is more tolerant than
Douglas-fir and the pines, but less tolerant than
western hemlock, western redcedar, and silver fir. It
is commonly attacked by the Indian paint fungus.
84
Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.
subalpine fir alpine fir
Habit: A conifer of the higher elevations with a long,
spirelike crown, and in open situations the branches
are retained for nearly the full length of the tree. It is
40’ to 100’ tall, and 1’ to 2’ in diameter; at timberline
may not attain a height of more than 5 or 6 feet.
Leaves: 1/2’ to 1-1/2’ long, linear; blue-green to silvery
green, with bloom on all leaf surfaces; spirally
arranged, but massed on the upper side of the twig
and nearly erect; apex round or notched, pointed on
fertile branches. Two resin ducts may be visible in
the pulp of the leaf when viewed in cross section.
Cones: 2-1/2’ to 4” long, cylindrical; purple, but
becoming purplish-gray in color; frequently in clusters
of 4 to 6 on the short, topmost branches; bracts
shorter than the scales, rounded.

Twigs: Orange-brown, covered with minute hairs the

first season or two, then becoming smooth; buds
small, subglobose, resinous.

Bark: Ashy-gray to almost white; unbroken, except on

the bases of older trees where it has shallow fissures
and is reddish; if the bark is ridged or plated it may
be superficially scaly. Resin pockets are scattered
through the inner bark.
Habitat & Range: Found on subalpine slopes, ridges and
valleys where there is adequate moisture. Ranges from
southeastern Alaska and the Yukon southward through
British Columbia and southeastern Alberta, in the
Olympic Mountains, the Cascade Mountains of Wash-
ington and Oregon, eastward to the Rocky Mountains
from western Montana southward into New Mexico
and southeastern Arizona, also local in Nevada.
Elevational range: sea level to 3,000 feet in Alaska;
2,000 to 7,000 feet in Canada; 2,100 to 7,800 feet in
the Cascades and Blue Mountains, 3,500 to 9,500 feet
in the Rocky Mountains.
: Uses: Used locally for fuel and
ae
corral poles. Is also used
for pulp.

Remarks: Occurrence seems to

be governed by adequate
moisture. Forms small pure LIKE
stands, but commonly occurs CHURCH SPIRE
in mixture with Engelmann
spruce, lodgepole pine,
mountain hemlock, western
white pine, noble and silver
firs, and whitebark pine.
Requires less moisture than subalpine fir
Engelmann spruce, but will
grow On wetter situations. Very tolerant, only
slightly less so than Engelmann spruce and mountain
hemlock.

Abies magnifica A. Murr.

red fir California red fir
Habit: A large conifer, 125‘ to 200’ tall, and 2-1/2’ to
5’ in diameter; with thick, coarse, dark reddish-brown
to purplish-black bark.

Leaves: 3/4” to 1-1/4” long, linear; spirally arranged,

but massed on the upper side of the twig, pointing
upward; silvery-green to blue-green, with white
stomatal bloom on all surfaces; apex round or blunt,
pointed on fertile (cone-bearing) branches: leaves on
lower branches slightly thickened; higher up they are
4-angled in cross section; the leaf is shaped like a
hockey stick, and its base tends to parallel the twig
for a short distance.

Cones: 6” to 9” long, 2” to 3” in diameter, cylindrical;

dark purple to purplish-brown or brown at maturity;
bracts of the main species shorter than the cone scales
86
Twigs: Moderately stout; yellow-green to olive-brown or
light brown and lightly pubescent, later glabrous,
reddish-brown and eventually ashy-gray in color; buds
small, usually less than 1/4’ long, brown, mostly
nonresinous.

Bark: Ashy-white to chalky-white on pole and small

saw-timber size trees; on old trees thick, coarse,
deeply ridged and furrowed, dark-reddish brown to
purplish-black; the ridges are broken into plates;
inner bark dark reddish-brown.

Habitat & Range: Intermediate tolerance. Grows best

on moist, well-drained soils in subalpine situations.
The range of the main species is limited to California
and extreme western Nevada. The species is most
abundant in the Sierra-Nevada Mountains as far south
as Sequoia National Park at elevations of 7,000 to
9,000 feet. It has been found as low as 4,000 feet. It
occurs in the northern part of the California Coast
Range and in the northern and central Sierras.

Uses: General construction, boxes and crates, and mill-

work.

Remarks: Forms large pure stands or occurs in mixture

with white fir, mountain hemlock, western white pine
sugar pine, ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir. Red fir
makes premium-priced Christmas trees.

Abies magnifica shastensis Lemm.

Shasta red fir
Description: Same as for the main species, A. magnifica,
except for the cone bracts.

Cone Bracts: Longer than the cone scales and usually

reflexed; appear to be arranged in spiral rows down
the side of the cone, giving the cone the appearance
of a half-plucked chicken.
 Habitat & Range: In California
and Nevada same as for the
main species A. magnifica, but
more spotty. Also occurs in
southwestern Oregon in the
Siskiyous and in the Cascades
as far north as Rustler Peak,
which is southwest of Crater
Lake National Park. Type
locality is Mt. Shasta, in
northern California.

Remarks: The cones are similar Shasta red fir

in appearance to A. procera,
but the bracts do not completely hide the cone scales.
Leaves of red fir and Shasta red fir are identical, both
being 4-angled in cross section and ridged above and
below. This feature distinguishes both from noble
fir in which the leaves have a flat or lightly grooved
upper surface (except for the leaves on the fertile
branches).

Abies procera Rehd.

noble fir
Habit: A tall, rather intolerant, straight tree with the
trunk often clear of limbs for half to two-thirds its
length. The crown is conical on open growth trees,
but more rounded when crowded in mature stands.
Size: 140’ to 200’ tall, and 3’ to 5‘ in diameter.
Leaves: 3/4” to 1-1/4” long, linear, massed on the upper
side of the twigs; blue-green with white stomatal
bloom on all surfaces; thickened to 4-angled in cross
section, slightly grooved on the upper surface, or
sometimes flat; apex round or pointed; base not con-
stricted; leaves arising from the underside of the twig
shaped like a hockey stick, the base tending to
parallel the twig.
Cones: 4” to 6” long, about 2” in diameter, cylindrical;
green to olive-brown in color; bracts longer than the
88
cone scales, margins serrated, spinose tip about as long
as the exposed portion of the scale; the bracts are
turned downward and almost completely ensheathe the
cone scales.
Twigs: Moderately slender, reddish-brown in color,
minutely pubescent the first few years; buds small,
reddish-brown, often enclosed by clustered leaves, not
pitched over, lateral buds not in the same plane, but
attached somewhat below the main bud.
Bark: Smooth gray-green and blistered on young trees;
on mature trees purplish-gray and eventually reddish-
brown, the narrow ridges are broken into rectangular
blocks which are superficially scaly.
Habitat & Range: Mountain slopes, benches and low
ridges; moisture demanding, but not demanding in
other soil requirements. Found in Washington and
Oregon in the Coast Range and the Cascade Mountains,
and as far south as the Siskiyou and Scott Mountains
in northwestern California. Elevational range:
1,400 to 6,000 feet.
Uses: Lumber for general construction, boxes and crates,
and millwork.
Remarks: The thin bark makes noble fir easily suscep-
tible to fire damage. W.F. McCulloch reports ‘the dry
heartwood and wet sapwood provide a curious
phenomenon-—trees with tops burned off in slash
fires have been known to hold fire over winter, a
great coal of fire working down the inside of the
trunk as much as 40 feet to forma stove-pipe; this
may break out as late as May or June following a fall
slash fire.”
Grows in pure stands, or in mixture with Douglas-fir,
western and mountain hemlocks; silver, grand, alpine,
and Shasta red firs; white and sugar pines. Intolerant,
less tolerant than any of the other true firs.
Noble fir is commonly called “‘larch’’ by many log-
gers. Larch Mountain in northwestern Oregon
supports a forest of noble fir, but no larch.
 89
TAXODIACEAE — Bald-Cypress Family

Sequoia Endl.
Sequoiadendron Buchholz
Sequoia redwood
Sequoiadendron bigtree
Habit: Very large evergreen trees that have thick fibrous
bark and soft, porous, durable, reddish wood.
Leaves: Persistent, of 2 types: (a) flatly linear and 2-
ranked, and (b) awl-like to lanceolate, somewhat
appressed to the twig and tending to point forward.
Dead leaves fall in sprays, not singly, leaving an oblong
twig scar.

Flowers: Monoecious.

Cones: Pendent, barrel-shaped; scales spirally arranged,

peltate and wrinkled; cones attain full size the first
season, but in one species require an additional year
to mature.
Remarks: In early geological periods trees of this family
were common throughout much of North America
and Europe. Today two species remain which are
restricted in range almost wholly within the state of
California. Both attain an immense size and are gen-
erally recognized as being the largest living plants.
These genera derive their names from a half-breed
Cherokee Indian, Sequoiah, who developed the first
alphabet used by that tribe.

Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl.

redwood
Habit: A large tree 180’ to 370’ tall, and 8’ to 23’ in
diameter, with dark reddish-brown fibrous bark. In
young trees the crown is conical in shape and the
lateral branches tend to curve downward; in old trees
the crown is often short, round or flat-topped, with
a few large lateral branches. The boles of old trees
are often buttressed at the base.
90
Leaves: Linear, flat, 1/2’ to 1” long, spirally arranged,
2-ranked; dark yellow-green above and with two bands
of white stomatal bloom on the underside; apex
acute; petiole absent, but the base of the leaf is
firmly attached to the twig below the point of union.
On the topmost branches the leaves are closely
appressed to the twig, and at first glance appear to
resemble the foliage of the giant Sequoia or big tree.
Dead leaves fall in sprays.

Cones: Oblong or barrel-shaped, 3/4’ to 1” long, about

1/2” or 5/8” in diameter; reddish-brown to dark
brown; scales spirally arranged, peltate, and wrinkled;
mature in one growing season.

Twigs: Moderately slender, round, green at first but

later turning brown.

Bark: Bark reddish brown or brick-colored; outer layer

sometimes weathered to grayish-brown; fibrous, 3”’
to 12” thick.

Habitat & Range: Found on moist, well-drained, sandy

and clayey-loam soils, in the fog belt area along the
Pacific Coast, from southern Curry County in extreme
southwestern Oregon southward to Monterey County
in mid-California. Range varies in width from 10 to
40 miles, and the continuity of the north-south range
is broken in several places along the coast. Elevational
range: sea level to 3,000 feet.

Uses: Lumber and dimension stock for homes, industrial

building, bridges, trestles and heavy construction;
siding, sashes, doors, sills, paneling, tanks, silos,
caskets, cigar boxes, storm gutters, outdoor furniture,
grape stakes, posts and numerous other uses. The
wood is very durable and req'ires no preservative
treatment when in contact with the soil. The bark
is used in insulating board and as an ingredient in
linoleum.
 oh
Remarks: Coast Redwood occurs in pure stands, but is
more commonly found in mixture with Douglas-fir,
Sitka spruce, Port-Orford-cedar, grand fir, western
hemlock, western redcedar, California laurel, tanoak,
torreya, red alder and bigleaf maple. Heavy fogs and
rain appear to restrict the species to its present range.
Moderately tolerant. It is the only western conifer
which will stump sprout, and this is an important
method of natural regeneration. Small detached
burls will sprout when placed in water.

Redwood attains the greatest height of any living

plant. The Founder’sTree in northwestern California
is 364’ tall and 12.6’ in diameter.

Dawn redwood, Metasequoia glyp tostroboides,

resembles coast redwood but has deciduous foliage,
opposite leaf arrangement, and opposite cone:scales.

Sequoiadendron giganteum (Lindl.) Buchholz

bigtree giant sequoia
Habit: Mammoth trees 200’ to 300’ tall, and 10’ to 20’
in diameter. Young trees have long conical crowns
extending nearly to the ground; in large old trees the
crown is irregular in shape and often broken, the
base is often buttressed and fire-scarred.

Leaves: Spirally arranged, awl-like to lanceolate, 1/4’ to

1/2’ long; blue-green to green, stomatal bloom on
all surfaces; somewhat appressed to the twig or
spreading; rigid and sharp-pointed; turn brown at the
end of the 3rd or 4th year, but may persist for some
time. Dead leaves fall in sprays.

Cones: Barrel-shaped, 2’ to 3’’ long; yellowish-brown

to reddish-brown; scales peltate, spirally arranged,
and wrinkled; seeds covered with a red pigment.
Cones attain full size the first year but require an
additional year to mature.
92
Bark: 12 inches or more thick at
the base of old trees, but thinner
higher up the bole; orange-
brown to cinnamon-red in color,
fibrous and spongy.

Habitat & Range: Deep, moist,

well-drained sandy and gravell:
soils on middle and upper FAMOUS
slopes of the Sierra Nevada CALIFORNIA
Mountains in central California VISITOR
from Placer County to Tulare
County. Range spotty. bigtree
Elevational range: 5,000 to
8,500 feet.

Uses: Bigtree is seldom cut for commercial purposes.

Most groves are being preserved in state and national
parks for their esthetic value.

Remarks: Bigtree may occur in small pure groves, but

it more commonly is found growing in mixture with
white fir, red fir, Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, sugar
pine, and incense-cedar. Intermediate tolerance.
Reproduction is best on mineral soil. Fire scars are
common on all the older trees.

The wood is very brittle, but durable in contact with

the soil. Bigtree does not attain the height of the
coast redwoods, but it will grow to a larger diameter
and older age. The General Sherman Tree in Sequoia
National Park has the largest volume of all trees. It
is 273’ tall and 36-1/4’ in diameter. The tree is
estimated to be between 3,000 and 4,000 years old
and to have a volume of 600,000 board feet.
 93

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 95
CUPRESSACEAE Cypress Family

Thuja L.
arborvitae thuja
Habit: Tolerant, moist-site, evergreen trees or shrubs
with scalelike foliage arranged in flattened sprays;
wood aromatic.

Leaves: Persistent, scalelike, decussate, and closely

appressed to the twig; facial scales flattened, lateral
scales folded or keeled; with or without glands; fre-
quently, but not always, with a white stomatal bloom
on the lower scales. Dead leaves fall in sprays.

Flowers: Monoecious. Staminate cones small and

inconspicuous; pistillate cones terminal.

Cones: Ovoid-cylindrical, erect, brownish; scales

decussate, thin, semi-woody or leathery, with a weak
spine offset from the apex; scales in valvate pairs;
cones mature in one season.

Twigs: Yonger twigs and branchlets flattened in cross

section; older branches round and frequently rough-
ened with dead leaves, slender, tough and flexible.

Remarks: There are five species of arborvitae; two are

native to North America, and the others are found in
China, Japan, and Korea. The wood is light in weight,
aromatic, and durable.

Thuja plicata Donn.

western redcedar
Habit: Large trees 150’ to 200’ high, and 3’ to 10’ in
diameter; with an open pyramidal crown of pendu-
lous, frond-like lateral branchlets; on large trees the
base is fluted and swell-butted.

Leaves: 1/16’ to 1/8” long (up to 1/4” long on older

twigs), scalelike, in opposite pairs, closely appressed
96
to the twig; facial scales flattened and with an indis-
tinct gland near the apex, lateral scales folded or
keeled; foliage sprays flattened, about 1/8” wide;
white stomatal pattern on the lower surface
resembles a butterfly or bow tie.

Cones: About 1/2” long, erect, ovoid-cylindrical;

decussate scales semi-woody, thin, and with a small
reflexed spine near the apex, scales 10 to 12 in num-
ber but only 6 are fertile; all are in valvate pairs.

Twigs: Younger twigs and branchlets flattened, older

twigs are round, slender and flexible, slightly zigzag;
reddish-brown in color.

Bark: 1/2’ to 3/4” thick, fibrous;

brown, but weathered to a
grayish-brown on the outside,
finely ridged and furrowed;
outer bark breaks up into long
narrow strips or shreds.
BUTTERFL

Habitat & Range: Found on moist ENOBrVER

sites along river bottoms, flats
and benches, and mountain ‘
slopes. Ranges from southeastern
Alaska southward to north- western redcedar
western California, also north-
eastern Washington, northern Idaho, and western
Montana. Elevational range: sea level to 4,000 feet
in the Pacific Northwest; 1,500 to 7,000 feet in the
Inland Empire.

Uses: Lumber for siding, interior finish, greenhouse con-

struction and flumes, boat building, caskets, poles,
posts, boxes and crates, sash and doors. 80% of the
shingles and shakes manufactured in Oregon and Wash-
ington are made from western redcedar.

Remarks: Very tolerant. Occurs in small pure Patches,

but more commonly in mixture with Sitka spruce,
 97
western hemlock, grand fir, Douglas-fir and western
white pine. It attains the largest size of any of the
species in the genus. The wood is aromatic and
durable.
The Indians made more use of this species than any
other. Various parts of the tree were used for canoes,
baskets, thongs, shelter, and clothing.

Libocedrus Endl.
incense-cedar
There are nine species of incense-cedar, only one is
native to western United States, two are found in South
America, and the remainder are found in New Zealand,
New Guinea, China, and Formosa. Because there is but
one native species the generic description is omitted.

Libocedrus decurrens Torr.

incense-cedar
Habit: Evergreen trees 70’ to 110’ tall, and 3’ to 5’ in
diameter, with a conical crown of frond-like branches.
Leaves: Persistent. whorled, scale-like. 1/4’ to 1/2”
long (up to 7/8‘ on some older twigs); yellow-green;
closely appressed to the twig, with only the tip stick-
ing out; the facial scales are flattened, with incon-
spicuous translucent glands; the lateral scales are
folded or keeled; the overlapping of the lateral scales
on the facial scales results in a wineglass outline on
the latter; aromatic when crushed. Foliage arranged
in flattened, elongated, fingerlike sprays. Dead
leaves fall in sprays.
Flowers: Monoecious. Staminate cones oblong-
retangular and yellowish; pistillate cones small, yel-
lowish-green with 6 scales. -
Cones: Pendent, 3/4” to 1-1/4” long, ovoid, somewhat
flattened; leathery or semi-woody in texture;
yellowish-brown; appear to be composed of 3 scales,
but actually have 6; the two basal ones are aborted,
98
the central pair is fused together, and the two large
remaining scales are the only ones which are fertile;
mature in one season. The closed cone resembles a
duck’s bill, and the open cone resembles a flying
goose.

Twigs: Moderately stout, at first flattened but evenually

becoming round; reddish-brown to grayish-brown in
color.

Bark: Purplish-red, 3’ to 4” thick near the base; much

thinner higher up; inner bark in rich reddish-brown,
weathering to grayish-brown on the oustide; fur-
rowed, with long interlacing ridges.
Habitat & Range: Does best on
moist porous soils, but is
able to adapt itself to vari-
ous soil types. Although
available moisture deter-
mines its locale in the
southern part of its range,
it apparently is less mois-
ture demanding than the
other “cedars.” Found on both \
slopes of the Cascades in I'7? soace LEAF
Oregon; the northern Coast LONGER THAN WIDE
Range and the length of the
Sierra Nevada Mountains in incense-cedar
California; also Lower California. Elevational range:
1,000 to 6,600 feet in Oregon; 1,000 to 8,000 feet in
California; and above 7,500 feet in Lower California.
Uses: Extensive use of incense-cedar for lumber is
impaired by a fungus which attacks the heartwood,
producing the condition known as ‘‘pecky cedar’’ or
“peck.” This condition does not impair the great
durability of the wood, and it makes excellent fence
posts. Has limited use for lumber, ties, mothproof
chests, venetian blinds, grape stakes, and shakes, also
pencil slats.
Remarks: ‘’The thick bark at the base of old trees makes
the species less susceptible to fires that may often kill
 99
its thinner barked associates. When mixed stands are
selectively logged for the better species and when the
slash is left unburned, the advance reproduction of
incense-cedar takes over the site in many Cases.
Essentially a drought-resisting tree, incense-cedar
occurs in the pine-oak mixed forest of the dry foot-
hill country in California and southern Oregon; found
in the pine-white fir mixed forest of the Sierra and
Cascades; also encroaches into the drier sites in the
Douglas-fir-western hemlock types. It is a vigorous
seed producer, seedlings grow well on a wide variety
of sites, and incense-cedar would probably take over
more forests were it not slow growing,” (W.F.
McCulloch)

Chamaecyparis Spach.
white-cedar

Habit: Tolerant, moist-site evergreen trees with

decussate, scalelike foliage arranged in flattened
sprays; the cone is small and spherical.
Leaves: Persistent, scalelike, in opposite pairs, imbri-
cated, and closely appressed to the twig; facial scales
flattened, lateral scales folded or keeled, about 1/8”
Jong; glandular near the tip but not always distinctly
so. Sprays about 1/16’ wide. Dead leaves fall in
sprays, not singly.
Flowers: Monoecious; inconspicuous; staminate cones
terminal, ovate to oblong, yellow to reddish;
pistillate cones round, green to blue-green.
Cones: Small, round, with peltate, decussate scales.
Mature in one or two growing seasons.
Twigs: Smaller twigs and branchlets distinctly flattened,
round on older branches. Leader droops.
Remarks: There are 6 species of white-cedar, three are
native to the United States, two to Japan, and one to
Formosa. The durable wood is heavier than that of
the redcedars, often with a distinct odor, especially
when freshly cut or dampened.
100
KEY TO WHITE-CEDARS

Leaf sprays flat, with white ‘’X”’ pattern on under-

side. Cones have 6 or 8 wrinkled scales without
prominent bosses (points) C. lawsoniana

Leaf sprays have no white stomatal pattern; youngest

sprays flat; older sprays thickened, often 4-angled in
cross section. Cones have 4 or 6 convex scales, each
with a prominent boss (point). C. nootkatensis

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A. Murr.) Parl.

Port-Orford-cedar Port-Orford-white-cedar
Habit: Trees 125’ to 200’ tall, and 3’ to 6’ in diameter;
with a pyramidal crown of pendulous, frond-like
branches.

Leaves: 1/16’ to 1/8” long, scalelike, arranged in

opposite pairs, imbricated and closely appressed to
the twig; mostly blue-green; glands on facial scales
translucent when held up to the light; white X’s on
the underside of the foliage sprays. Foliage sprays
flat, finer, denser and more lacy than those of western
redcedar or incense-cedar.

Cones: Round, average about 1/4” in diameter, reddish-

brown and glaucous; 6 or 8 peltate, decussate scales
which are wrinkled on the surface; mature in one
season.

Twigs: New twigs and branchlets distinctly flattened,

older branches round, with thin brown bark.
Bark: Brown, but weathered to a grayish-brown on the
outside; fibrous, ridged and furrowed; the outer bark
often splits into long narrow strips; 4” to 8” thick
near the base, but thinner higher up the bole. It has
the thickest bark of the so-called ‘‘cedars.”’

Habitat & Range: Tolerant. Most commonly found on

moist, well-drained soils in the coastal fog belt region
 101
of southwestern Oregon and
northwestern California. It
occurs chiefly in Coos and
Curry Counties in Oregon, and WHITE X'S
in Del Norte and Humboldt UNDERNEATH
Counties in California. It is
found in the coast ranges and
Siskiyou mountains; it occurs
in small areas in western Lane
and Douglas Counties, Ore-
gon, and in the Trinity
Mountains and on Mt. Shasta
in California. The range forms
a narrow strip 10 to 40 miles
wide. Elevational range: Port-Orford-cedar
sea level to 5,000 feet.

Uses: At one time the durable, easily-worked wood was

commonly used for battery separators and venetian
blinds; however, Douglas-fir has replaced it for the
former use and metal for the latter. Most now exported
to Japan as a substitute for Japan’s own C. obtusa now
in short supply.

Remarks: Port-Orford-cedar will form small pure

stands, but is more commonly found in mixture with
western redcedar, Sitka spruce, western hemlock,
Douglas-fir, grand fir, and occasionally with coast
redwood and Oregon-myrtle. Susceptible to
Phytophthora root rot, especially on poorly drained
soils. On suitable soils it is a fine species for orna-
mental planting. It is the largest species in the genus.

Chamaecyparis nootkatensis (D. Don) Spach.

Alaska-cedar Alaska yellow-cedar

Habit: Medium-sized tree 70’ to 100’ tall, and 2’ to 4’

in diameter, with a shaggy conical crown of pendu-
lous, frond-like branches.
102
Leaves: Scalelike, closely appressed to the twig imbri-
cated and in opposite pairs, about 1/16” to 1/8” long;
yellow-green to gray-green or blue-green; tips of the
lateral scales may not be closely appressed to the
twig, thus resulting in a serrated edge on the foliage
sprays; glands indistinct; no stomatal markings.
Cones: Round, 1/4” to 1/3” in diameter; glaucous green,
but becoming purplish-brown to reddish-brown at
maturity; 4 to 6 convex peltate scales, smooth except
for a central boss; mature in two growing seasons.
Twigs: Younger twigs and branchlets flattened, older
branches round and frequently roughened with dead,
persisting leaves. Leader droops.
Bark: Thin; inner bark reddish to cinnamon-brown, but
weathered to a gray-brown on the outside; shallowly
ridged and furrowed, except for the younger trees
which may be scaly.
Habitat & Range: Does best on moist, rocky and gravelly
soils in the mountains. Ranges from southeastern
Alaska southward through western British Columbia, to
the Cascade Mountains in Washington and Oregon and
the Siskiyou Mountains in southwestern Oregon and
northern California, also the Olympic Mountains in
Washington and the Blue Mountains in northeastern
Oregon. Elevational range: sea level to 3,000 feet in
Alaska; sea level to 5,000 feet in British Columbia;
near sea level to 3,500 feet in the Olympics; and
2,000 to 7,500 feet in the Cascades.
Uses: Interior finish, furniture, boat hulls, cabinet work,
novelties, pattern stock and canoe paddles.
Remarks: Sometimes occurs in small pure stands, but
more frequently in mixture with mountain hemlock;
lodgepole and western white pine; alpine, noble and
silver firs; Engelmann spruce and Douglas-fir.
Further north it is associated with Sitka spruce,
western hemlock and western redcedar. Moderately
tolerant, but tolerance varies with age and site condi-
tions. The wood is durable, has a yellowish cast, and
an obnoxious odor when freshly cut or moist.
 103
Juniperus L.

juniper
Habit: Intolerant, evergreen, dry-site trees and shrubs,
with aromatic, scalelike and/or awl-like foliage, and
berrylike cones.

Leaves: Persistent; decussate or ternate; scalelike and

closely appressed to the twig, often glandular-pitted
on the back; and/or awl-shaped, or linear-lanceolate
and somewhat spreading; aromatic.

Flowers: Mostly dioecious; inconspicuous.

Cones: Small, berrylike, fleshy, subglobose, with fused

decussate, peltate scales (cones rarely open); blue-
black, blue, or reddish-brown and covered with a
white bloom; contains one to many seeds; mature in
one to three growing seasons.

Bark: Thin and breaking up into long fibrous or

shreddy strips; usually reddish-brown.

Remarks: Indigenous to the Northern Hemisphere. The

wood is quite colorful—red—and Is very durable.
Junipers occur mainly on sites too dry for ponderosa
pine.
KEY TO FOUR JUNIPERS

1. Leaves uniformly awl-shaped to linear-lanceolate,

in whorls of 3, radially spreading, not glandular;
chalky-white on upper surface. Sprawling shrub
or small tree. J. communis

1. Leaves scalelike and appressed to twig; or leaves

awl-like, often spreading (divergent); or both
scalelike and awl-like on same tree. 2

2. Leaves conspicuously resin-dotted, usually scale-

like, commonly in whorls of 3. J. occidentalis
104
2. Leaves not resin-dotted. , 3

3. Branchlets 4-angled in cross section, with leaves in

4 ranks: awl-shaped and divergent or scalelike and
appressed; glands absent or inconspicuous.
J. scopulorum

3. Branchlets round or 6-angled in cross section,

leaves usually scalelike, glandular-pitted, in
whorls of 3. J. californica

Juniperus communis L.

common juniper
Habit: Prostrate, mat-forming shrubs, sometimes
erect, or small trees up to 30’ tall and 6” to 12” in
diameter.
Leaves: 1/3’ to 1/2” long, linear-lanceolate, sessile;
white on the upper surface, dark shiny green below;
apex acute, callus tipped; arranged in whorls of
three, and nearly perpendicular to the twig.
Cones: About 1/4’ in diameter, subglobose; bluish-
black, covered with a white bloom; requires 3 growing
seasons to mature.

Twigs: Slender, smooth and often shiny; triangular in

cross section between the nodes.
Bark: Less than 1/4” thick, gray-reddish brown and
shreddy.

Habitat & Range: Found on sandy or rocky flats, slopes

and ridges. Indigenous to Europe, Asia and North
America. In North America: Alaska, Canada, Wash-
ington southward to central California, eastward into
Ohio and Virginia, and then south through the
mountains to Georgia; also portions of Arizona and
New Mexico.

Uses: Extracts from the fruit used to flavor gin. May

be planted as an ornamental.
 105
Juniperus californica Carr.
California juniper
Habit: Shrub, or small tree up to 30’ tall, and 10” to
20” in diameter; with a conical crown and a fluted
,
trunk.

Leaves: Scalelike, about 1/8”

long, usually in 3's; yellow-
green; closely appressed to
the twig; keeled and
glandular-pitted on the
back; apex round; awl-
shaped on vigorous branches,
up to 1/3” : long, rigid,
: So POWDER
ae. soll white on COATED "BERRIES"
e upper surface. juniper

Twigs: Almost round, stout; after the leaves fall the

bark is thin, scaly, and ashy-gray.

Cones: Round, 1/4” to 5/8” in diameter; reddish-brown

and covered with a white bloom; surface smooth
except for a slight projection from the center of each
scale; contains one or two grooved and ridged seeds;
requires two seasons to mature.

Bark: Gray to gray-reddish brown; thin and breaking

into long shreddy scales or strips; inner bark reddish-
brown.

Habitat & Range: Dry, sandy, rocky or gravelly soils;

from Jackson County in southwestern Oregon south-
ward into northern lower California. Elevational
range: 2,000 to 5,000 feet.

Remarks: Occurs in pure stands or in mixture with

mountain-mahogany, ponderosa pine, digger pine,
pinon pine, manzanita, mesquite, and yucca.
Probably very intolerant. Used locally for fuel
and fence posts.
106
Juniperus occidentalis Hook.

western juniper Sierra juniper

Habit: Strong-scented small dry-site trees 20° to 60’ tall,
and 1‘ to 3’ in diameter; bole short and thick.

Leaves: Scalelike, in whorls of 3 and tightly appressed

to the twig, and/or awl-shaped with the tips standing
free from the twig; grayish-green to blue-green; back
side of scales rounded, glandular and resin-dotted.

Cones: Round 1/4” or slightly larger in diameter; bluish-

black and covered with a white bloom, skin tough;
contains two or three ridged and grooved seeds;
mature in two growing seasons.

Twigs: Round, smooth and reddish-brown, later

becoming scaly.

Bark: Cinnamon-brown to reddish-brown, but often

weathered to a gray-brown on the outside; 1/2” to
1” thick, with broad shallow furrows and flattened
ridges.

Habitat & Range: Dry, sandy to rocky soils; from

eastern Washington southward into southern
California and western Nevada, eastward into western
Montana. Elevational range: 500 to 3,000 feet in
Oregon and Washington; 2,500 to 10,500 feet in
California.

Uses: Fuel and fence posts.

Remarks: Very intolerant. Occurs in pure open stands

or in mixture with ponderosa and Jeffrey pines on
marginal sites for the pines.

Fruit is eaten by birds and deer browse the foliage.

The wood is durable. The most extensive juniper
stands in the world are formed by this species in
eastern Oregon.
 107
Juniperus scopulorum Sarg.

Rocky Mountain juniper

Habit: Bushy shrubs up to 20’ tall and 6" to 10” in

diameter, or small trees 25‘ to 30’ tall and to
1-1/2’ in diameter.

Leaves: Scalelike, in alternating pairs, closely appressed

to the twig, indistinctly glandular on the backside;
and/or awl-shaped and divergent; yellow-green to
green.

Cones: Round, about 1/4” in diameter; bluish-black

and covered with a white bloom; seeds 2, triangular
and grooved; mature in two growing seasons.

Twigs: 4-angled or square in cross section.

Bark: Thin, shallowly ridged and furrowed and breaking

into long shreds; outer bark grayish to graying brown,
inner bark reddish-brown.

soils,
Habitat & Range: Found on dry, sandy or gravelly
but doing best in the moist canyons in the semi-arid
areas of southern British Columbia and southwestern
Alberta, eastern Washington southward to southern
Nevada, and eastward to western Dakotas, north-
western Texas, and eastern New Mexico.
Elevational range: 350 to 6,500 feet.

Uses: Locally for fuel and fence posts. Wood is very

durable.

species
Remarks: Probably very intolerant. Associated
ood,
include mountain-mahogany, narrowleaf cottonw
sagebrush, pinyon pine and the one-seed juniper.
108
Cupressus L.

cypress
Habit: Evergreen trees, or occasionally shrubs, with
overlapping, scale-like, decussate, leaves closely
appressed to the twigs; branches are erect or spreading.

Leaves: Persistent, scalelike, appressed to and arranged

in opposite pairs on the twig, lateral scales folded or
keeled; margins finely toothed; awl-shaped or linear-
lanceolate foliage on the vigorous growth. Glandular
and commonly resin-dotted.

Flowers: Monoecious; staminate cones cylindrical and

terminal; pistillate cones round.

Cones: Round to subglobose, woody or leathery in

texture, mostly 1/2” to 1-1/4”’ in diameter; 3 to 6
pairs of peltate scales, the surface of each scale is
somewhat wrinkled and has a central boss (projection);
mature at the end of the second growing season but
often persists on the tree for an indefinite period.

Twigs: Young twigs that are clothed with living foliage

are 4-angled in cross-section, with one exception
(Chinese weeping cypress). Older branches are round
and are covered with a thin scaly bark.

Remarks: There are 12 species of cypress found in

North America, Europe, and Asia. There are six
species native to the United States, and all are found
in the West, from southwestern Oregon southward
into Mexico and Lower California. Each species has
avery limited natural range. With the exception of
Monterey cypress, none of the native species seems
to have any potential as a timber tree, but they are
frequently planted as ornamentals, or may be used in
erosion control. The wood is durable and is used
locally for fence posts. Baker or Siskiyou cypress.
C. bakeri Jeps., is found in Josephine County in
Oregon and Siskiyou and Shasta Counties in California
 109
The foliage is dark to shiny green and has conspicu-
ous resin glands, and is frequently dotted with resin.
There is also the subspecies C. bakerii subsp.
mattewsii C.B. Wold. Both species are found on poor
soils.

Cupressus macrocarpa Hartw.

Monterey cypress
Habit: Monterey cypress is the largest and most valuable
of the North American cypresses of this genus. It is
a tolerant, moist-site tree 20’ to 75’ tall and native
only to a very small area in the vicinity of Point Lobos
in Monterey County on the mid-California coast.

Characteristics: Its cones are large, about 1” long, with

three or more decussate pairs of peltate scales. It
produces viable seed in abundance. Its bark and
foliage resemble those of a juniper. Its wood is
brown, slightly oily, attractive, and durable.

Remarks: In its native habitat it is usually a picturesque,

windswept tree; but planted inland in California and
near the coast of northern California and southern
Oregon, it serves as a windbreak tree and grows
moderately tall and straight.

Taxus L.

yew
Habit: Evergreen trees and shrubs with dark green
foliage; the fruit is one-seeded, fleshy.

Leaves: Persistent, linear; spirally arranged, in some

species 2-ranked; apex acute, often with a spinose
callus tip; smooth and dark green above, pale green
below; petiolate.

Flowers: Dioecious; staminate flowers globose, borne

in the leaf axils on the underside of the twig;
pistillate flowers solitary.
110
Fruit: 1/4’ to 1/3” long, subglobose to oblong, orange-
red aril (fleshy, gelatinous fruit open at the upper end
and containing one large seed); matures in one season.

Twigs: Round, slender and green.

Bark: Thin, brown to purplish-brown.

Remarks: Yews are indigenous to the Northern Hemis-

phere. Three species are native to the United States,
two in the East and one in the West. Very tolerant.

Taxus brevifolia Nutt.

Pacific yew
Habit: Small trees 30’ to 50’ (sometimes up to 80’) tall,
and 1‘ to 2’ in diameter, with a dark green crown of
pendulous branches. The bole is frequently asym-
metrical and fluted. Usually a moist-site, understory
tree.

Leaves: 1/2’ to 1” long, linear, rigid; dark green or

yellow-green above, paler beneath; apex pointed;
midrib stout; petiolate; commonly 2-ranked.

Fruit: Fleshy, orange-red aril, 3/8” to 5/8” long,

oblong-oval.

Bark: About 1/4” thick, dark purplish or reddish-

brown, scaly; inner bark reddish-purple.

Habitat & Range: Pacific yew is a common understory

tree in the Pacific Coast forests. Very tolerant.
Grows in moist, well-drained sites in the sun or shade.
Ranges from extreme southeastern Alaska southward
to northern California, and in the Sierra Nevada
Mountains to central California; northeastern Oregon,
northern Idaho and western Montana. Range similar
to that of western hemlock, except for the Sierra
Nevada region of California.
 111
Uses: The wood is very durable and very hard; it
requires no preservative treatment even when in con-
tact with the soil. Used for special fence posts; gate
posts and corner posts. It makes good archery bows.
112 rhiege one
KEY TOBROADLEAF TREE AND SHRUBS
S
| Treedor shrubswitheves: 2
spines.
ced
4, Shrubs—leaves reduto eh Sot agedanes
2. Leaves opposite. Bays dee 3)
2. Leaves alternate. gt Se

3. Leaves simple. a . :
4. Twigs flattened at nodes, eae
aun vara samara. Fraxinus latifolia p. 246 ©
4. Twigs round atnodes, weak; pithlarge and
spongy; fruit small berries. Sambucus p.248
lobed and veined; double-samara
5. Leaves palmately
fruit. Acerp.207
5. Leaves not lobed; arcuately or pinnately veined,or
with netted veins.
6. Leaves persistent; thick and leathery or stiff. 7

6. Leaves deciduous (Shepherdia leaves somewhat

leathery) . 10

7. Leaf margins pairs and 1-1/2” to 2- 1/2"long,

elliptical, oval, or broadly ovate. Margin irregu-
larly revolute in one species. Garrya p. 229

7. Leaf margins serrate or spinose-toothed or entire

and clustered.

8, Leaf margins finely serrate; leaves 1/2‘’ to

1-1/2" long, round or ovate to elliptical. 9
 he oP,

113 itscommasMs

8. Leaf margins smooth or with sparse spinose

teeth; leaves 1/4”to 1’ long, obovate, cuneate
or spatulate. ‘Ceanothus spp. p. 212
9. Erect shrub, up to 4 feet high; leaves elongated,
ovate to elliptical. n
Pachystima myrsinites p.4)
9. Very low, trailing vinelike shrub; leaves round,
lustrous, (1/2’ to 1”). Linnaea borealis p. 255.
10. Fruit a white, persistent, waxy berry; twigs
very slender; pith brown, mostly hollow. f
p. 251

10. Fruit not white; slender 2:Stout Me

white (in most Bealesand solid. us
11. Leaf margins toothedorlobed. ee 2
11. Leaf margins smooth or wavy. 13
12. Leaf margi afew, small, widely spaced,
withns
glandular teeth; 3 (rarely 5) main veins from
near base of blade; buds minute, naked.
p.160
12. Leaf margins coarsely serrate or dentate; buds
about 1/4” long, mostly stalked.
Viburnum p. 253

13. New twigs and branchlets scurfy (flaky).

p. 222
13. New twigs and branchlets not scurfy. 14

14. Branchlets 4-ribbed or aces appearing

square; leaves obovate or oval. Lonicerap.247

14. Twigs and branchlets tband 15

15. Leaves have arcuate veins; leaves 2”’to6” long.

Cornusp. 225
 114 ea Pg? Mee
15. Leaves have3 (rarely5)main veins from base; _
may have a few widely spaced teeth. lr re

16. Leaves simple. Lv) PO, U7.

16. Leaves compound. 68
17. Leaves palmately lobed and veined, i.e.,
maplelike. 18
17, Leaves not palmately lobed and veined. 22)
18. Branches and stems armed with pricklesor
spines. 19
18. Branches and stems unarmed. 20
19. Stems abundantly armed with irritating, long
prickles; leaves large; veins and petiole armed.
Oplopanax horridum p. 225
19. Stems bear spines at nodes, and often prickles on
internodes; leaves small (1“ to 2). Ribes spp. p. 161
20. Leaves large mostly 4” to 8” in diameter;
stems weak. Rubus parviflorus p. 192
20. Leaves small, mostly 1-1/2’ to 3” in
diameter. 21
21. Bark tan-colored, shreddy, exfoliating in long
strips; flowers (and follicles) borne in hemi-
sherical clusters. Physocarpus p. 178
21. Bark reddish-brown to grayish-brown, with con-
spicuous vertical rows of horizontal lenticels;
leaves have soft, velvety pubescence on under-
side. Flowers and berries in racemes.
Ribes sanguineum p. 163 _
22. Branches and twigs armed with thorns; buds
red; fruit a pome. Crataegus p.170 —
22. Branches and twigs unarmed. 23
 115
23. Leaves with 2 to 4 distinct glands on the petiole
and/or lowest serration. Prunusp. 181 }

23. Leaves without distinct glands

on the petiole or
lowest serration.

24. Leaves wedge-shaped; apex 3-lobed; tend to

persist.

24, Leaves not wedge-shaped; apex not 3-lobed;

deciduous or persistent.

25. Leaves aromatic (sage odor), gray-green;

margins not revolute. Artemisia tridentata p. 256

25. Leaves not aromatic, green above, whitish

below; margins revolute. —Purshia tridentata p. LTP

26. Leaves distinctly 3-veined from base of

blade (see underside of leaf).
Ceanothus spp. p. 212

26. Leaves not 3-veined from base. 27

27. Leaves grass-like, not more than 1/16”

wide, linear; tend to persist.
Chrysothamnus p. 258

27. Leaves not grass-like. 28

28. Leaves persistent, thick and leathery, or

stiff.

28. Leaves deciduous, not leathery. 47

29. Leaf margins smooth. 30

29. Leaf margins serrated and/or lobed. 39

116°
30. Leaves distinctly aromatic revmiense oes < :
crushed. Umbellularia p. 158
30. Leaves not aromatic. | | 3h
31. Leaves with golden scurfiness on underside. i
Castanopsisp.145

31. Leaves lack golden scurfiness onUncesitee 32

32. Buds naked, Loclggs i
hamnus ionamin. 219
32. Buds covered with imbricate scales wht 38
33. Leaves less than 3” long. 34
33. Leaves 3” long or longer. at eps! 27,
34, Leaf margins revolute. 35
34, Leal margins not revolute. 36
35. Leaves borne on spur shoots; leaves 1/2’’ to
1-1/4” long, light brown on underside.
Cercocarpus ledifolius p. 169

Leaves not on spur shoots; leaves

35. 2-1/4” 3/4” to
long, white on underside.
Ledium columbianum. p. 238

36. Buds clustered at tip of twig; leaves often have

spinose-toothed margins. Quercus p. 149
36. Buds not clustered. Bark dark red. Leaves
entire. Fruit looks like Baie
Arctostaphylos
p. 2
37. Bud scales fuzzy; leaves oblong, stiff, ¥
prominently penniveined, often toothed.
Lithocarpus densiflorus p. 148
37. Bud scales not fuzzy; leaf margins entire. «38
 Lien a7
38. Brown scaly bark exfoliates, exposing smooth
reddish-brown
or orange-brown Ger
Flowers small, urn-shaped. A tree. — oe;
Arbutusp.230
38. Bark does not exfoliate; green to brown,
Flowers large, trumpet-shaped. Ashrub.
Rhododendron
p. 239°
39. Buds naked, dark brown. Leaves finely serrate. .
fee oe.
?
39. Buds have imbricate or valvate scales. RAG i>
40. Buds clustered at tip of twig; leaf margins
spinose-toothed. Quercus chrysolepis p. 150
40. Buds not clustered. 41
41. Leaves ovate or oval; margins very finely serrate. 42

41. Leaves oblong, oblanceolate, or obovate. 43

42. Leaves 1-1/2” to 4’ long, broadly ovate or

oval; twigs round in cross section, tendto
zigzag. Gau theria shallon p. 236

42. Leaves 1/2’ to 1-1/2” long, ovate; dark green

and waxy above; appear to have been folded
along midrib; youngest slightly ridged. i
Vaccinium ovatum p. 243
43. Leaves less than 2” long. 44
43. Leaves 2” long or longer. 45
44. Leaf margins revolute; leaves oblanceolate
to obovate. Baccharis pilularis p. 258
44. Leaf margins not revolute; leaves obovate,
conspicuously penniveined.
Cercocarpus beltuloides p. 167
118 eC
45. Leaves narrow, willowlike, oblanceolate to
oblong-lanceolate, dark green; base wec aped;
petiole about 1/2’ long. Myrica cal forn ap. 132
45. Leaves broad; oblong, poise pies or
oblong-ovate. 46.
46. New leaves and twigs fuzzy; leaves
ously penniveined with one ee er
vein; leaf margins occasionally
enti .
LithocarpusTAS 148
46. New leaves and twigs smooth; leaf veins not
conspicuous; leaf margins entire or with
very fine serrations. Arbutus menziesii p. 231
47. Young twigs distinctly ribbed or ridged, green. 48
47. Young twigs round
in cross section. 49

48. Both simple and trifoliate leaves present. ‘

Cytisus scoparius p. 200
48. All nr a simple, elliptical to oblong; :
buds red Vaccinium parvifolium p. 244
49. Leaf petiole distinctly flattened laterally;
blade round or suenaulas or rhomboid.
_ Populus spp. p. 124
49. Leaf petiole (if present) round, not flattened. 50
50. Leaf margins smooth, unlobed, 5a
50. Leaf margins toothed or lobed (entire in
some species of Salix),
51. Buds naked, dark brown; leaves conspicuously
penniveined. Bark smooth, gray.
purshianap.220
51. Buds with imbricate scales. 52
 52. Leaves ovate to lanceolate, 2’'to 6” long,
with underside silvery-white and/or with
rusty areas. Populus spp. p. 124
52. Leaves elliptical to obovate or oblanceolate. =
53. Pith chambered. Leaves light green, soft, tapered
at both ends; taste like cucumbers.
Osmaronia cerasiforms p. 174 |
53. Pith solid. Leaves bright green above, paler below,
elliptical to ns
Rhododendron occidentale p. 241
54. Leaves 2-ranked (phyllotaxy 1/2). 55 i

54. Leaves in 3 or more ranks (phyllotaxy

1/3 or 2/5, or indeterminate).

55. Leaves singly serrate, with netted veins; upper

leaf surface sandpapery. Pith very finely
chamberedat nodes. Celtis reticulata p. 155
55. Leaves doubly serrate, prominently penniveined;
pith solid. 56

56. New twigs pubescent (soft-hairy); zigzag; no

spur shoots; leaves broadly and irregularly
rounded, sparsely hairy on upper surface,
soft-hairy below. Corylus p. 144

56. New twigs smooth or resin-dotted; buds on

spur shoots after first season; leaves not
hairy. Betula p. 139

57. Buds stalked, 3-ranked; pith triangular; leaves

conspicuously penniveined. Nutlets borne in
small semi-woody cones with spirally ones
scales. Alnus p. 134

57. Buds sessile; phyllotaxy 2/5 or indeterminate. 58

 58. be not lobed, or if abet, obsnot
more ,
i so
89. Buds naked or with single, caplike
budaverHeo,
59. Buds with imbricate or valvatescales. ee a

fol elena
eee a
Rhamnus purshiana p.220
60. Buds with single, caplike scale;leaves
lanceolate, elliptical, or spatulate; leaf
margins serrate (or entire). ‘Salix Pp.eee
61. Buds borne on spur shoots; leaves ovatetooval
serrate; may have one to three.
Fruit a pome (apple). Malusdivestp. 176
61. Buds not on spur shoots. 62
62. Petiole more than 1/4” long. 63
62. Petiole 1/8” to 1/4” long. ae 65
63. Leaves round or oval or 5 ae oblong, 1-1/4"
to 2" long, with teeth on outer (apical) portion
of blade, but not on basal portion. Fruita small
pome (apple). EE eecHiey,Pp. 165
63. Leaves ovate or lanceolate. 64
64. Leaves prominently penniveined;m
coarsely toothed or with a few oat
toothed lobes; leaf base obtuseorwedge-
shaped. Dense terminal clustersofflowers _
or follicles. pete Gad gee p. 173
 121 i
64. Leaves netted-veined; margins crenate- z
serrate to smooth; leaf base round; underside
silvery-white and/or with rusty areas.
Populus spp. p.124
65. Leaves ovate to elliptical or oblong. . 86
65. Leaves obovate or oblanceolate. ea
66. Leaf margins finely, eel serrate; teeth
cee in gland-tipped hairs; leaves y
elliptical, thin. il plan ak
ium membranaceump. 242.
66. Leaf margins have few, large teeth;
leaves ovate to oblong. Twigs have ont
white pith. Spiraeap.198
67. Teeth on only the outer 1/2 or 1/3 of leaf
blade; leaves obovate to oblanceolate.
Myrica galep. 133
67. Teeth on all of leaf inteneae -like.sitet
midrib protrudes beyond blade. Leaf obovate
elliptical. Menziesia ferruginea p.939
68. Twigs and stems armed. 69

68. Twigs and stems unarmed. 71

69. Twigs armed only at nodes, with paired stipular

spines; youngest twigs angular; buds submerged.
7 to 19 leaflets. Robinia pseudoacacia p. 201
69. Entire twigor stem armed, with prickles.
3 to 9 leaflets.

70. Leaflets small, round or oval, 1/2” to 3/4”

long., Usually 5 to 9 leaflets. Rachis
unarmed. Fruit an orange-red hip
(containing achenes). Rosa p. 185
 Sepiacr wo
122 ee :
70. Leaflets large, mostly 1-1/2" to 3-1/2" long.
Usually 3 to 5 leaflets. Rachis Pius armed
with prickles. Fruit an aggregate ofdrupelets.
Rubus spp. p. 188
71. Leaves persistent; leaflets stiff, with spinose aaa
margins. Berberis p.1
155
71. Leaves deciduous. . v2)
72. Leaves 1/2’ to 1“ long; branches green and |
distinctly ribbed. Cytisus scoparius p. 200
72. Leaves 2" long or longer. By
73. Leaflets usually 3. 74 |

73. Leaflets
7to21. 75
74. Lateral leaflets only 1/4 to 1/3 the size of
the terminal leaflet; terminal leaflet broadly |
obovate to round-rhombic, with wedge-shaped |
base, but no (sub-) petiole. Flower buds in
spikes; foliage buds = a padFruit red. ,
hus trilobata p. 204
74. Lateral leaflets at least 1/2 the size of the
terminal leaflet; leaflets ovate to obovate;
terminal leaflet irregularly toothed to lobed, re
with distinct (sub-) petiole. Buds naked.
Fruit whitish, with meridian lines.
Rhus diversiloba p. 205 :
75. Leaf margins entire or wavy. Young twigs angu-
lar; buds submerged. Robinia pseudoacacia p. 201
75. Leaf margins serrate. 76
76. Leaflets oblong or oblong-elliptical; |
flowers and fruit in broad, flat-topped,
terminal clusters. Sorbus p. 196
f
 123
76. Leaflets lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate;
flowers and fruit in elongated terminal
clusters. Rhus glabra p. 204

SALICACEAE Willow Family

Salix L.

willow
Habit: Rapidly growing, thicket-forming trees and
shrubs.

Leaves: Deciduous, alternate,

5-ranked, simple, stipulate;
lanceolate, elliptical, or spatu- SY
late in shape; margins entire, QE
wavy, or serrate; apex round, (P-
acute or acuminate; sessile or _ ainate
with short petiole. In many ZEEE wo seve
. * CAP-LIKE

species, stipules are persistent.

Flowers: Dioecious; in upcurving aE

aments (catkins); sometimes DIFFERENISESRECIES
fragrant. willow

Fruit: Two-valved, 1-celled capsule, ovate with an

acuminate tip; 1/4’ or less in length; contains several
minute, hairy seeds. Fruit matures and disseminates
its seed in the late spring or early summer. Seed very
short-lived. Needs moist mineral soil.

Buds: 1/8’ to 5/8” long, usually closely appressed to

the twig; the bud has but a single, cap-like scale;
scale smooth or pubescent. Terminal bud absent.

Twigs: Slender to moderately stout, flexible; smooth or

occasionally pubescent; green, red, brown, yellow,
orange or purple in color; lenticels usually prominent;
twig scar evident in late summer or early fall on the
124
side of the twig opposite the last lateral bud; pith
round and solid. Phyllotaxy 2/5.
the sun.
Habitat & Range: On moist, well-drained sites in
but
On all continents except Australia and Antarctica,
it
most abundant in the Northern Hemisphere, where
will be found growing as far north as the Arctic Circle.
of
Remarks: Very intolerant. Occurs on many types
.
soil. Comparatively short-lived, but prolific sprouters
Easily propagated by cuttings. Useful for erosion
control.

Willows are very good to excellent browse plants for

game animals and domestic stock. Grouse and quail
feed on the buds. Twigs are used for basketry.

There are many species, varieties, and hybrids, often

very difficult to distinguish. In some instances both
male and female specimens are essential if the species
is to be identified.

Populus L.

cottonwood poplar

Habit: Rapidly growing trees. Commonly found grow-

ing in moist, well-drained situations.

Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, simple, 5-ranked; ovate,

ovate-lanceolate, deltoid, or rhomboid in shape; upper
surface smooth and glossy; margins entire, dentate,
serrate, or occasionally lobed; petiole usually long,
terete or laterally flattened.

Flowers: Dioecious; borne in drooping aments (catkins);

appear before the leaves.

Fruit: 2- to 4-valved, 1-celled capsule; ovate, sub-

globose, or conical in shape; usually less than 1/4”
long, smooth or finely pubescent; contains several
minute, hairy seeds. Fruits mature in late spring;
 123
76. Leaflets lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate;
flowers and fruit in elongated terminal
clusters. Rhus glabra p. 204

SALICACEAE Willow Family

Salix L.

willow
Habit: Rapidly growing, thicket-forming trees and
shrubs. LEE
LTE
Leaves: Deciduous, alternate,
5-ranked, simple, stipulate; —— Ni
lanceolate, elliptical, or spatu- Wa qe gs
late in shape; margins entire, ENS
wavy, Or serrate; apex round, (-
acute or acuminate; sessile or A os
with short petiole. In many cee cocrsenne
species, stipules are persistent.

Flowers: Dioecious; in upcurving LEE

aments (catkins); sometimes OFF FRERRICERSIS
fragrant. willow

Fruit: Two-valved, 1-celled capsule, ovate with an

acuminate tip; 1/4’ or less in length; contains several
minute, hairy seeds. Fruit matures and disseminates
its seed in the late spring or early summer. Seed very
short-lived. Needs moist mineral soil.

Buds: 1/8” to 5/8” long, usually closely appressed to

the twig; the bud has but a single, cap-like scale;
scale smooth or pubescent. Terminal bud absent.

Twigs: Slender to moderately stout, flexible; smooth or

occasionally pubescent; green, red, brown, yellow,
orange or purple in color; lenticels usually prominent;
twig scar evident in late summer or early fall on the
126
3. Leaves deltoid; bark ridged and furrowed on
larger trees; twigs somewhat knobby. P. deltoides

4. Leaves ovate, whitish or rusty on the underside.

P. trichocarpa

4. Leaves narrow: ovate-lanceolate; petiole short.

P. angustifolia

Populus tremuloides Michx.

quaking aspen aspen trembling aspen

Habit: Small to medium-sized tree 30’ to 80’ tall and 1’
to 2’ in diameter; with smooth white to greenish-white
bark; tends to grow in small pure stands or in thickets.

Leaves: 1-1/2’ to 3’’ in diameter, broadly ovate or

almost round; margins crenate-serrate; apex acute;
base rounded or cordate; shiny light green to yellow-
green and smooth above, paler below; turns bright
yellow in autumn; petiole slender, 1-1/2” to 3” long,
laterally flattened.

Fruit: A conical capsule about .

1/4” long; stalk minutely oe
pubescent. ;

Twigs: Moderately slender,

shiny, reddish-brown; later
becoming grayish; buds
appressed, slightly resinous,
reddish-brown, about 1/4” to
to 3/8” long.
Bark: Smooth silvery-white
to greenish- or yellowish-
white, with scattered
roughened areas; the bases FLAT
STEMS Suse
of large trees are dark, TREMBLING
ridged, and furrowed.
aspen
 127
Habitat & Range: Found along streams and on moist
benches and mountain slopes, on a variety of soils,
but doing best on sandy loams. Widespread in Alaska,
Canada, the mountains of western United States, and
the northern half of eastern United States, also in
northern Mexico. It is the most widely distributed
species in North America.

Forage Value: Rated as fair to good browse for sheep

and cattle. Highly palatable to many western wildlife
species, including deer, elk, moose, beaver, pika,
mountain-beaver, snowshoe hare, and porcupine. It
is perhaps the most important single woody browse
species on western ranges.

Uses: Paper pulp, lumber, excelsior, matches, boxes,

baskets, and crates. Used locally for fuel.

Remarks: In the Lakes State Region it commonly

becomes established following logging of the pines,
or after a fire. It plays a part silviculturally in that
region similar to that of red alder in the coastal area
of the Douglas-fir Region in the Pacific Northwest.
Aspen is very intolerant, grows rapidly, sprouts
vigorously when cut; and is host to many destructive
insects and diseases.

Populus de/toides Bartr.

eastern cottonwood

Habit: A commonly planted eastern tree 80’ to 125’ tall,

and 3’ to 5’ in diameter; the bole often divides in the
second or third log into several large limbs; the crown
is pyramidal-shaped on young trees, open and spread-
ing on large trees.

Leaves: 3” to 6” long, deltoid to broadly ovate-deltoid,

glossy yellow-green above, paler below; margins
128
crenate-serrate; apex acute to acuminate; base
truncate to cordate; gummy and fragrant when they
first emerge from the bud; petiole 2-1/2” to 3”
long, laterally flattened, yellowish-green and tinged
with red.

Flowers: Dioecious; both sexes in drooping catkins.

Fruit: 3- to 4-valved capsule, ovoid to oblong-ovoid,

about 1/4” long, with several cotton-tufted seeds.

Twigs: Stout and round, or occasionally somewhat

ribbed, often knobby; yellowish-brown and smooth;
buds ovate-conical, 1/2’’ to 3/4’’ long; lateral buds
may be flattened on the side appressed to the twig;
bud scales yellowish-brown and resinous.

Bark: On young trees thin, yellowish-green and smooth;

on old trees 1”’ to 2” thick, ashy-gray, with broad
rounded or flattened ridges which may be somewhat
scaly; inner bark light yellow.

Habitat & Range: Found on moist, well-drained sites

in the sun, near streams or other bodies of water.
Ranges throughout most of eastern United States and
along streams westward to the Rocky Mountains.

Uses: Plywood cores, boxes and crates, packing cases,

excelsior and paper pulp.

Remarks: Very intolerant. Rapid grower, In addition

to seeds is reproduces by stump sprouts, root sprouts
and cuttings. In bottomlands it is associated with
sycamore, willows, elms, bottomland oaks, and ash.
Pure stands are usually small in area.

Populus nigra italica Muenchh.

Lombardy poplar
Habit: A tall European tree with a columnar crown of
ascending branches, 80’ to 125’ tall, and 2’ to 4’ in
diameter.
 129
Leaves: 1-1/4 to 2-1/2” long; rhomboid, or almost
triangular on vigorous sprouts; margins finely crenate-
serrate; apex acute; base wedge-shaped; smooth and
yellow-green above, paler beneath; petiole 1-1/2’ to
2" long, laterally flattened.

Flowers: A male clone in the U.S., therefore it has only

staminate aments (catkins).

Fruit: None for they are all male trees.

Twigs: Slender, yellowish or yellowish-green, smooth

and often somewhat glaucous; terminal bud 1/4”
to 1/3” long, lateral buds slightly smaller, commonly
appressed to the twig; bud scales brown and slightly
resinous.

Bark: On young trees comparatively smooth and

grayish-green in color, becoming grayish-black;
deeply ridged and furrowed on larger trees.

Range: Lombardy poplar is indigenous to northern

Italy, but has been extensively planted in the United
States and throughout the world. In some countries
it is used for pulpwood or matches.

Remarks: Planted as an ornamental and for windbreaks.

It is very intolerant, a rapid grower, and a vigorous
sprouter both from the roots and stump. May be
readily propagated from cuttings. Short-lived.

Populus trichocarpa Torr. & Gray

black cottonwood
Habit: A large tree 100’ to 200’ high, and 3’ to 6’ in
diameter, with a broad, open crown.

Leaves: 3‘ to 6” long, ovate to ovate-lanceolate;

margins wavy to crenate-serrate; apex acute; base
round to subcordate, dark lustrous green and smooth
above, silvery-white and commonly with rusty areas
on the underside; petiole round, 1-1/2” to 3” long.
130
Fruit: Subglobose, 3-valved,
1-celled, pubescent capsule,
1/3 ‘ to 1/2” long.

Twigs: Moderately stout,

greenish-brown to olive-drab
in color, slightly ribbed or
terete; lenticels distinct,
spur shoots are common on
the older branches; buds
resinous, aromatic, with B sticky
dark reddish-brown imbri- INSERM TOES
cated scales; terminal bud black cottonwood
about 3/4” long, ovoid
conical; lateral buds smaller and often divergent,
leaf scars semi-circular.

Bark: Smooth, yellowish-tan to gray on young trees; on

old trees gray to grayish-brown, and broken into deep
furrows and narrow flattened ridges, 1-1/2’ to 2-1/2”
thick.

Habitat & Range: Occurs on moist sites along streams,

bottomlands, river islands and benches. Ranges from
southern and southeastern Alaska and the southern
Yukon, southward to northern Lower California and
western Nevada, eastward to central Montana, local
in Wyoming and southwestern North Dakota.
Elevational range: near sea level to 4,500 feet in
Washington and Oregon; 500 to 6,000 feet in
California.

Uses: Paper pulp, plywood cores, excelsior, dairy and

poultry boxes, crates and coops, laundry appliances
and toys.

Remarks: Very intolerant. Grows rapidly and will

sprout from the stump. Occurs in small pure stands
or associated with red alder, bigleaf maple, Oregon
ash, Douglas-fir, and grand fir.
 131
Black cottonwood is the largest of the American
poplars, and is the largest hardwood indigenous to
the West. The first forest plantations in Oregon were
of black cottonwood. The plantations were estab-
lished along the Willamette River and on some of
the river islands.

In the spring as the buds begin to swell and burst, the

air in the vicinity of the trees is filled with a honey-
like fragrance.

Populus angustifolia James

narrowleaf cottonwood
Characteristics: Very similar to black cottonwood,
except that the leaves are narrower, 2’ to 5” long,
lanceolate to narrow-ovate. Leaf base rounded to
wedge-shaped; petiole short, 1/2” to 1” long.

Fruit: Broadly ovate, 2-valved capsule.

Uses: May be used locally for fuel.

Habitat & Range: Moist, well-drained sites in the sun.

Found in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan south-
ward through Montana to eastern New Mexico west-
ward into eastern Washington, extrerne southeastern
Oregon, Nevada and Arizona, and in the Black Hills
and western Nebraska, also in northern Mexico.
Elevational range: 2,500 to 5,000 feet. In Oregon
it is found only on Steens Mountain in the extreme
southeastern part of the state.

MY RICACEAE Wax-Myrtle Family

Myrica L
bayberry
Habit: Aromatic, small trees or shrubs with deciduous
or persistent foliage.
132
Leaves: Deciduous or persistent, alternate, 5-ranked,
simple; margins entire or serrate; petiole short.

Flowers: Dioecious or monoecious; borne in aments

(catkins).

Fruit: Small, round or ovoid drupes that may be either

waxy or fleshy.

KEY TO THE BAYBERRIES

Leaves deciduous, 1°’ to 2-1/4’ long, with scattered

yellowish glands on underside. Shrub less than 6’
tall. M. gale
Leaves persistent, 2” to 4” long, with pale green,
smooth underside, often with minute black specks.
Small tree up to 30’ tall, or large shrub. M. californica

Myrica californica Cham.

Pacific bayberry Pacific waxmyrtle

Habit: Large, evergreen shrub or small tree up to 30’ or
40’ tall, and 8”’ to 12” in diameter; with a dense, dark
green, round crown of slender willowlike foliage.

Leaves: Persistent, alternate, simple; oblanceolate to

oblong-lanceolate or oblanceolate-cuneate, 2’’ to 4”
long, 1/2” to 3/4” wide; dark green, smooth and
lustrous above, paler beneath and with very minute
black specks (often not visible to the naked eye);
margins remotely serrate except for the base which
is entire; apex acute; base wedge-shaped; petiole short,
about 1/2” long, minutely pubescent.

Flowers: Monoecious. Aments (catkins) borne in the

leaf axils; staminate aments 1/2” to 1” long;
pistillate aments borne above the staminate aments,
1/2" to 1-1/2” long.

Fruit: Round, dark purple to grayish-white, waxy drupe

 133
about 1/6” in diameter, usually borne in clusters.

Twigs: Moderately stout, dark green, pubescent the

first year, slightly ridged; older twigs round, brownish-
green, eventually becoming ashy-gray.

Bark: Very thin, dark gray or grayish-brown and often

mottled with white areas.

Habitat & Range: Found on moist, well-drained, sandy

or gravelly soils in the sun or shade near the Pacific
Coast from Washington southward to southern
California. Elevational range: sea level to 300’.

Remarks: Very tolerant. Associated with evergreen

huckleberry, rhododendron, salal, hairy manzanita,
lodgepole (shore) pine, Sitka spruce and western
hemlock.

Planted as an ornamental. Early settlers gathered the

fruits and rendered the wax to make candles.

Myrica gale L.

sweetgale
Habit: Shrubs up to 6’ tall.

Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, simple; obovate to

oblanceolate, 1’’ to 2-1/4"' long, dark green and
smooth above; paler beneath, with conspicuous
scattered yellowish glands, and usually slightly
pubescent; margins serrate along the upper 1/3 to
1/2, entire below; apex acute to round; base wedge-
shaped: petiole very short, about 1/8” long.
Flowers: Dioecious. Stamens and pistils in
separate aments in axils of bracts.
Fruits: Very small waxy drupe.
Twigs: Dark grayish-brown and slender; buds about
1/16” long.
Bark: Grayish to grayish-brown.
134
Habitat & Range: Found on moist sites, in the sun, often
on acid soils. From Alaska southward to west central
Oregon, the East Coast, and Europe.

BETULACEAE Birch Family

Alnus B. Ehrh.

alder
Habit: Moist-site trees and shrubs with nitrogen-fixing
bacteria on the roots. Intermediate tolerance.

Leaves: Deciduous, a!ternate, simple, 3-ranked; ovate,

obovate or oval in shape; margins serrate, doubly
serrate or dentate, rarely entire. The leaves fall in the
autumn without changing color.

Flowers: Monoecious. Flowers borne in aments (catkins) 1

2 to 5 in acluster; staminate aments are preformed,
i.e., the male flowers emerge from the bud during the
current growing season, but hang from the twigs
unopened until the next growing season.

Fruits: Winged nutlets; borne on the scales of a semi-

woody strobile or cone. The strobiles persist on the
tree long after the seeds have been released.

Twigs: New twigs are round or triangular in cross section;

olive drab, reddish or reddish-brown in color, lenticels
more or less conspicuous; pith is triangular in cross
section.

Buds: Stalked or sessile; scales valvate or imbricated,

brown to reddish-brown, slightly resinous or waxy.

Remarks: Inhabit moist areas from sea level to high

mountain slopes in the temperate and cooler regions
of the Northern Hemisphere, also found in Central
and South America. Geologically an ancient genus.
 135
KEY TO THE ALDERS

1, Leaf margins revolute. A. rubra

1. Leaf margins not revolute. 2

2. Leaf apex round or obtuse; margins finely,
usually singly, serrate, with glandular teeth.
A. rhombifolia

2. Leaf apex acute; margins sharply doubly serrate. 3

3. Larger serrations resemble small lobes. A. tenu/folia
3. Larger serrations usually not lobelike, leaves thin
and almost papery. A. sinuata

Alnus rhombifolia Nutt.

white alder
Habit: A tree 40’ to 80’ tall and 1’ to 2’ in diameter;
with a broad, dome-shaped, open crown, and grayish-
brown scaly bark.

Leaves: 2’ to 3-1/2" long, ovate to ovate-rhombic or

oval, margins finely serrate to doubly serrate and
indistinctly glandular; apex round to bluntly pointed;
base obtuse to broadly wedge-shaped; green to
yellow-green and initially slightly sticky above, paler
and smooth to somewhat pubescent along the veins
on the underside; petiole short, 1/2’’ to 1”’ long,
grooved above.

Fruits: Winged nutlets; borne in a semi-woody strobile

or cone; 1/2’ to 3/4” long; brown in color.

Twigs: New twigs slender, light green and somewhat

pubescent, but soon becoming smooth, olive-drab to
yellowish-brown in color; slightly triangular in cross
section; lenticels evident, buds stalked, about 1/2’’
long, slender, red to reddish-brown, slightly
pubescent; scales valvate.
136
Bark: On old trunks about 1” thick, whitish to grayish-
ally
brown, with flat, plated ridges which are superfici
scaly.

Habitat & Range: Round on moist sites along stream

bottoms and on lower mountain slopes, from\southern
interior British Columbia southward to northern
Lower California, and in northern Idaho.

Uses: Not commercially important.

Remarks: Intermediate tolerance. Forms pure stands,

or is associated with bigleaf maple, western dogwood,
Oregon ash, and California sycamore.

Alnus rubra Bong.

red alder

Habit: A tree 30’ to 120’ tall and 1’ to 3’ in diameter;

with a fairly straight bole and a moderately open,
broadly pyramidal or dome-shaped crown.

Leaves: 3’’ to 6” long and

about half as wide, ovate
to ovate-elliptical, shiny
green to yellow-green and
smooth above; paler and
pubescent along the veins
on the underside; margins
doubly serrate to slightly
lobed and serrate, revolute
(i.e., the margins are rolled
down and under); petiole
about 1” long, grooved on
the upperside. Apex red
acute. alder

Fruit: Tiny nutlets with thin lateral wings or one

encircling wing; borne on the scales of a semi-woody
cone, 1/2 to 1” long, cylindrical, brown to gray.
 137
Twigs: New twigs are distinctly triangular in cross
section; olive drab to reddish-brown in color,
lenticels prominent; buds stalked, about 1/2’ long;
scales valvate, red and somewhat waxy. Lammas
shoots (twigs with leaves in the axil of a leaf)
frequently may be found on vigorous shoots.

Bark: Ashy gray to grayish-brown; comparatively

smooth along the upper bole, and near the base with
flattened, irregularly plated ridges which are super-
ficially scaly; inner bark tan, becoming reddish-brown
upon exposure to the air.

Habitat & Range: Occurs along streams and in moist

bottoms, and on moist mountain slopes. Ranges
from southeastern Alaska southward through western
British Columbia, and on the west of Cascade Moun-
tains as far south as souther California. Elevational
range: sea level to 3,500 feet in the Pacific Coast states.

Uses: Furniture (often disguised as maple or some

other species), core stock and cross bands in plywood,
woodenware, millwork, plugs for paper rolls, and to
a limited extent for pulp.

Remarks: Intermediate tolerance. Forms pure stands,

or occurs in mixture with cottonwood, bigleaf
maple, vine maple, Oregon ash, willows, Douglas-fir
and grand fir.

Red alder is the largest and most important of the

Pacific Coast alders. The total volume of this species
is greater than any other western hardwood.

Alnus sinuata (Reg.) Rydb.

Sitka alder
Habit: A thicket-forming erect shrub, or a small tree
20’ to 40’ tall and 5”’ to 10” in diameter; with
grayish or grayish-green bark.
138
Leaves: 1-1/2’ to 5” long, ovate to ovate-oval, thin and
papery; margins sharply, double serrate to slightly
lobed and serrate; apex acute; base obtuse; shiny
green to yellow-green above, paler and smooth beneath,
or slightly pubescent in the vein axils.

Fruit: Winged nutlets; borne in a broadly ellipsoidal or

barrel-shaped, semi-woody cone or strobile, about
1/2” to 3/4” long.

Twigs: New twigs round to slightly ribbed; shiny light

brown to yellow-brown; at first slightly pubescent and
glandular-dotted, later becoming smooth; lenticels
conspicuous; buds acute, spindle-shaped with reddish-
brown valvate scales, slightly stalked or sessile.

Bark: Gray to grayish-green in color, with warty lenticels.

Habitat & Range: Found in moist sites in the mountains.

Ranges from the Yukon, and western and southern
Alaska southward to northern California, eastward to
southwestern Alberta and western Montana, also
northeastern Oregon. Elevational range: in the
United States usually above 3,000 feet.

Alnus tenuifolia Nutt.

thinleaf alder mountain alder

Habit: A shrub or small tree up to 25’ tall, with slender
branches and grayish-brown bark; tends to form
thickets.

Leaves: 2’ to 4” long, ovate to ovate-oval or oblong-

ovate; dark green and smooth above, paler and
smooth or slightly pubescent beneath; margins sharply
and doubly serrate, or coarsely toothed and serrate;
apex acute to round; base broadly obtuse to some-
what rounded, or abruptly narrowed and wedge-
shaped; petiole 1/2” to 1’ long, grooved above, at
first green but becoming dark reddish-brown on the
upper side; midrib light yellow-green.
 139
Fruit: Narrow-winged nutlets; borne in a barrel-shaped,
semi-woody cone or strobile, about 1/2” long.

Twigs: Slender, round to

slightly ridged; at first
slightly hairy but becoming
grayish-brown; lenticels
orange colored; buds
stalked or sessile, conical,
about 3/8” long; bud scales
dark reddish-brown.

Bark: Greenish-gray to gray-

reddish brown, thin and
smooth on small trees,
mountain alder
becoming scaly near the
base when older.

Habitat & Range: In the mountains along streams and

around springs and seeps. Ranges from the Yukon
and central Alaska southward through eastern Oregon
to central California and western Nevada, eastward to
western Montana and northern New Mexico. Eleva-
tional range: in the States from 3,000 to 7,000 feet.

Remarks: Less tolerant than red and Sitka alders.

Form pure thickets, and is commonly associated with
lodgepole pine, vine maple, willows, aspen and black
cottonwood.

This species is the most widely distributed of the

western alders, and is the most common alder in
eastern Oregon, the Rocky and Sierra-Nevada
Mountains.

Betula L

birch
Habit: Intolerant, moist-site trees and shrubs with thin,
papery bark and prominent horizontal lenticels.
140
Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, simple, 2-ranked; ovate
to triangular in shape; margins serrate, doubly serrate,
lobed and serrate or dentate; petiolate.

Flowers: Monoecious, both sexes borne in aments

(catkins); staminate aments preformed, usually 2 to
3 in a Cluster; pistillate aments usually solitary.

Fruit: Winged nutlets; borne on the papery scales of a

cylindrical strobile or cone; strobile is usually pendent
and disintegrates when mature.

Twigs: Slender; 1/2 phyllotaxy; green to reddish-brown

in color; in some species aromatic (winter-green odor)
when bruised; spur shoots abundant on older branch-
lets; pith round or slightly triangular. Twigs may
appear to be crooked, i.e., they tend to zigzag.

Buds: Terminal buds absent; lateral buds ovate to

ovate-conical, with brown or reddish-brown imbri-
cated scales.

Bark: Papery. May or may not peel horizontally;

prominent horizontal lenticels.

Remarks: Ancient in origin. Widely distributed through

the temperate and cooler regions of the Northern
Hemisphere. In the United States there are 19 species
attaining tree size, and several others are shrubs. In
the West the shrubby species are browsed, their
palatability ranging from fair to very good.

KEY TO THE BIRCHES

1. New twigs resin-dotted. Leaves 1/2’ to 2’’long. 2

1. New twigs smooth. Leaves 2’ to 3-1/2’ long,

with doubly-serrate margins. B. papyrifera
 141
2. Leaf margins serrate to dentate; leaves ovate
to diamond-shaped. B. occidentalis

2. Leaf margins crenate; leaves obovate to round.

B. glandulosa

Betula glandulosa Michx.

bog birch scrub birch
Habit: An erect (occasionally almost prostrate), much-
branched shrub up to 12’ in height; with glandular
branchlets and grayish to dark grayish-brown bark.

Leaves: Broadly obovate to almost round, 1/2” to

1-1/2" long and nearly as wide; margins crenate;
apex round; base round or broadly wedge-shaped;
dark green and smooth above, paler and somewhat
glandular below; petiole up to 1/4” long, reddish.

Fruit: Winged nutlets; borne in a cylindrical cone or

strobile, about 3/4” long.

Twigs: Slender and usually crooked; dark grayish-

brown to reddish-brown; very sticky when new,
resin later solidifies into tiny globules.

Bark: Smooth and thin, dark grayish-brown or gray;

doesn’t peel horizontally.
Habitat & Range: Occurs in mountain meadows and bogs,
and around springs and seeps. Ranges from Alaska
southward through British Columbia, east of the Cas-
cade and Sierra Nevada Mountains in Washington and
Oregon, and northern California; also the Rocky
Mountains, the Great Lakes area, and the New
England states.
Remarks: One of the most common and widely dis-
tributed western birches. Buds eaten by grouse,
quail and ptarmigan. Browse qualities rated as poor
to good.
142
Betula occidentalis Hook.
water birch
red birch
up to 30’
Habit: Loosely branched shrub, or small tree
tted on
tall, with slender branches which are resin-do
the new growth; bark dark reddish-brown.

Leaves: Broadly ovate to diamond-shaped, 3/4’' to 2”

long, and 1/2’ to 1-1/4”’ wide; green to yellow-green
above, initially sticky but becoming smooth, paler
below and somewhat glandular; margins coarsely
serrate, but entire near the base; apex acute to
rounded; base broadly obtuse to rounded; petiole
,
about 1/2’’ long, yellowish and glandular-dotted
flattened above.

Fruit: Winged nutlets; borne in

a cylindrical cone or strobile,
1 to 1-1/2" long.
Twigs: New twig green and
sticky, becoming reddish-
brown, and resin-dotted,
eventually grayish-brown
and smooth.
Bark: Reddish-brown to
copper-colored, smooth
and with conspicuous lenticels.
On older plants the bark may water birch
loosen and curl slightly, but it
does not peel horizontally.
Habitat & Range: Found along streams from central
British Columbia southward on the east of Cascade
Mountains in Washington and Oregon, and the Sierra
Nevada Mountains to central California, eastward to
southwestern Manitoba, the Rocky Mountains and the
mountains of the southwest.

Remarks: Palatability fair to good. Bark more durable

than the wood.
 143
Betula papyrifera Marsh. (Rydb.) Sarg.
paper birch white birch
Habit: Tree 30’ to 70’ tall, and up to 2’ in diameter;
with white or grayish-white bark marked with
prominent horizontal lenticels.

Leaves: 2’ to 3-1/2” long, ovate to ovate-elliptical;

yellow-green and smooth above, paler and slightly
hairy beneath, especially in the vein axils; margins
doubly serrate; apex acute; base rounded to sub-
cordate; petiole 3/4” to 2-1/2” long.

Fruit: Winged nutlets, wings minutely pubescent;

borne in a pendent, cylindrical, disintegrating cone
or strobile, 1’ to 1-1/4” long.

Twigs: Brown and smooth, lenticels ivory-colored.

.

Bark: On young trees may be bronze-colored to light

reddish-brown; older trees white or creamy-white,
and peeling in horizontal strips; lenticels prominent,
horizontal, flattened-ellipsoidal.

Habitat & Range: Occurs on cool, moist, well-drained

sites in the sun. Primarily a Canadian tree, but com-
mon in northern United States, especially the north-
east. In the west it occurs fromBritish Columbia
and Alberta southward through eastern Washington
and into the Wallowa Mountains of northeastern
Oregon, and eastward to western Montana.

Remarks: The least common of the birches in Oregon

and perhaps the rarest broadleaf tree species in the
state. In the east, an important timber tree, used
for furniture and flooring, and articles of turnery.
Because of a former special use by Indians, this
species is sometimes known as canoe birch.
144
Corylus L.

hazel
Habit: Shrubs or small trees.

Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, 2-ranked, simple; ovate to

oval; margins doubly serrate; surfaces more or less
pubescent; petiole short and pubescent.

Flowers: Monoecious, borne in aments (catkins) ;

staminate aments preformed; pistillate flowers in a
tiny cluster, stigmas red.

Fruit: A nut partially or wholly surrounded by an

involucre or husk, commonly paired.

Twigs: Moderately slender, tend to be crooked, new

twigs pubescent; terminal buds absent, lateral buds
with imbricated scales.
Remarks: Some species are raised commercially for their
nut crop. Nuts commonly known as filberts or hazel
nuts.

Corylus cornuta californica (A. DC.) Sharp

California hazel
Habit: Open and spreading
shrubs up to 15’ tall, or small
trees up to 30’ tall and 6” to
12" in diameter.
Leaves: Broadly ovate or
obovate to almost round, 2”
to 4” long and 1-1/2" to 3”
broad; pubescent; dark green
above, paler below; margins
sharply and doubly serrate;
apex broadly acute to almost ZIG-ZAG TWIGS
round; base subcordate;
petiole up to 3/4” long, HAIRY FRUIT
pubescent. California hazel

Fruit: Subglobose nuts about 3/8” to 5/8” long, wholly

 145
surrounded by tan-colored, somewhat hairy, beaked
or elongated papery husk; often paired on the twig.
Twigs: Current year s twigs slender, brownish and
pubescent; branchlets tend to zig zag. Phyllotaxy 1/2.
Habitat & Range: Occurs in the understory in conifer-
ous forests, on burned-over and logged-over lands, and
along streams. Ranges from southern British Columbia
southward to central California on the west of the
Cascade and Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Remarks: Tolerant to very tolerant. At times it may
inhibit reproduction of desirable tree species. Pre-
formed staminate aments commence elongating very
early in the spring before the leaves appear. Nuts
edible. Browse value poor to fair.

FAGACEAE Beech Family

Castanopsis (D. Don) Spach

chinkapin chinguapin
Habit: Tolerant trees or shrubs with persistent leaves,
and seeds that are borne in a spiny bur.
Leaves: Persistent, alternate, 5-ranked, simple, leathery;
margins entire (native species).
Flowers: Monoecious; borne in erect aments (catkins).
The pistillate flowers occur on the basal portion of an
otherwise-staminate stalk, forming a bisexual ament.
All staminate aments also occur.
Fruit: 1 to 4 edible nuts, resembling small chestnuts,
borne in a bur with sharp, branched spines; requires
two growing seasons to mature.

Twigs: Round; pith stellate; bud scales imbricated;

phyllotaxy 2/4.
Remarks: There are about 30 species, of which only
two are indigenous to the United States; the remain-
der are found in southeastern Asia. The genus is
closely related to the chestnuts (Castanea spp.).
146
Castanopsis chrysophylla (Dougl.) A.DC.
golden chinkapin western chinguapin
Habit: Evergreen trees 90’ to 150’ in height, and 3° to
6’ in diameter, with a round or conical crown; or at
the northern and southern limits of its range
commonly shrubby.

Leaves: 2-1/2’ to 4-1/2” long, lanceolate or oblong-

elliptical, leathery; pale green or yellow-green,
glabrous and usually lustrous above, with a golden
scurfiness (occasionally pale green or silvery) below;
margins entire and at times slightly revolute; apex
acute; base acute to rounded; petiole up to 1/2” long,
scurfy.

Flowers: Borne in erect aments; staminate flowers

grayish-yellow, scurfy and tomentose; pistillate aments
short and attached to the basal portion of an other-
wise staminate ament, or merely constituting that
basal portion.

Fruit: 1 or 2, somewhat triangular nuts; borne ina

4-parted bur with sharp, branched spines, light brown
when mature.

Twigs: Slender, initially coated with a golden scurfi-

ness, reddish-brown, older branchlets darker and
smooth; pith yellow, stellate in shape; buds occasion-
ally clustered at the tip of the twig; bud scales
imbricated, light brown and papery, hairy along the
margins.

Bark: On young trees grayish-brown and mottled with

large white areas; later, shallowly fissured with broad,
flat, dark ridges; on older trees 1’’ to 2’’ thick, deeply
furrowed and ridged.

Habitat & Range: Found on dry, sandy and gravelly

soils, in the western portions of the Pacific states.
In Washington, golden chinquapin occurs on the
 147
eastern slopes of the Olympic Mountains. In Oregon,
it occurs in the Coast Range and on both sides of the
Cascade Mountains, especially on the west side. In
California it occurs in the Coast Range and on the
western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Elevational range: 2,000 to 5,000 feet in Oregon;
3,000 to 10,000 feet in California.

Uses: Although the lumber

does not find wide use it
has been utilized for build-
ing construction, boxes
and crates, furniture and
cabinet work.

Remarks: Tolerant to inter-

mediate in tolerance.
Occurs in dense thickets
or associated with Douglas-
fir, noble fir, redwood,
ponderosa and Jeffrey golden chinkapin
pines and canyon live oak.
Vigorous sprouter. Through experiments it has been
found susceptible to chestnut blight, the disease
which has practically eliminated the American
chestnut in the East.

Lithocarpus Blume
tanoak

Habit: Tolerant, evergreen, moist-site trees, or

occasionally shrubs, having acorn fruit.

Leaves: Persistent, alternate, 5-ranked, simple, stiff,

entire or with coarse teeth; pinnately veined; stipulate.

Flowers: Monoecious; borne in erect aments (catkins).

Pistillate flowers are on the basal portion of an
otherwise staminate ament, called a bisexual ament.

Fruit: Nut (acorn) borne in a bristly cup; matures ip

two growing seasons.
148
Twigs: Round and stout; pith stellate.

Remarks: Intermediate in characteristics between the

chestnuts (Castanea spp.) and the oaks (Quercus spp.),
but more closely related to the latter. There are
numerous species, most of which are found in south-
eastern Asia. Only one species is indigenous to the
United States.

Lithocarpus densiflorus (Hook. & Arn.) Rehd.

tanoak
Habit: Evergreen trees 60’ to 100’ tall and 1’ to 3’ in
diameter, with a dense, broad, round crown, or when
growing in a forest stand with a narrow, spirelike
crown of ascending branches; or a shrub up to 10’ in
height.

Leaves: Oblong to oblong-ovate, 3’ to 5” long, thick,

stiff, and leathery; dark green and with a tawny
tomentum when first unfolded, later pale green,
lustrous and smooth, or with a slight tomentum on
the upper surface, lower surface initially tomentose,
later becoming smooth and bluish white; margins
entire or coarsely toothed and frequently revolute;
apex acute; base obtuse to round; petiole stout, 1/2’’
to 1” long, tomentose.

Fruit: Nuts (acorns) oval to ovate, borne singly or

paired, 3/4’ to 1-1/4” long, with a scurfy tomentum;
cup shallow, bristly-scaled on the outside, tomentose
on the inside.

Twigs: Stout and round, tomentose, becoming smooth

the second or third year, reddish-brown and occasion-
ally glaucous; pith stellate; buds ovate, about 1/2’
long, protected by loosely imbricated, tomentose
scales. Phyllotaxy 2/5.
Bark: 3/4’ to 1-1/2” thick, with narrow furrows and
broad, rounded or flattened ridges checkered with
square plates which are superficially scaly, reddish-
brown to grayish-brown in color.
 149
Habitat & Range: Found on moist, well-drained, sandy
and gravelly soils, from southwestern Oregon south-
ward to southern California, also in the Sierra-Nevada
Mountains (where it is commonly shrubby). Eleva-
tional range: from near sea level to 4,700 feet.

Uses: Locally for fuel, furniture and mine timbers.

Bark is a commercial source of tannin. The wood
has a potential value for flooring and other uses
similar to that of oak.

Remarks: Tolerant. Found in small pure stands, but

more commonly associated with redwood, Douglas-
fir and canyon live oak. Vigorous stump sprouter.
Birds and rodents feed on the acorns.

Quercus L.

oak
Habit: Sturdy upland trees or shrubs; mostly inter-
mediate in tolerance.

Leaves: Deciduous or persistent, alternate, simple;

margins entire, pinnately lobed or serrate.

Flowers: Monoecious; staminate flowers borne in

unisexual aments (catkins). Pistillate flowers solitary
or in 2- or 3-flowered spikes.

Fruit: Nuts (acorns) partially enclosed by a scaly cup

or involucre; bitter to the taste because of the tannin
content; matures in one or two seasons.

Twigs: Slender to stout, ridged; pith stellate in shape.

Buds are commonly clustered at the tips of the
twigs. Phyllotaxy 2/5.

Remarks: The oaks are the most important and the

most abundant group of hardwoods in the United
States. They are of early geological origin, and today
there are between 200 and 300 species, varieties, and
150
hybrids to be found throughout the world. In addi-
tion to the very strong wood, the various species are
important as a source of tannin and dyes, cork,
pharmaceutical extractives and other types of pro-
ducts.

There are seven oaks native to Oregon, however, only

the three most common ones are included in this
manual.

KEY TO THE OAKS

1. Leaves lobed, deciduous. 2

1. Leaves not lobed; margins spinose or entire;

persistent. QO. chrysolepis

2. Lobes rounded or blunt-pointed, not bristle-

tipped; bark light colored. Q. garryana

2. Lobes pointed, bristle-tipped; bark dark, with

pink fissures. Q. kelloggii

Quercus chrysolepis Liebm.

canyon live oak
Habit: Evergreen trees 30’ to 80’tall and 1’ to 2’ in
diameter, with a short trunk and spreading crown;
or a shrub up to 15’ tall.

Leaves: Persistent, 1’’ to 3-1/2’ long, and 1/2” wide,

oblong-ovate or elliptical, thick and leathery; fuzzy
when they first appear, becoming yellow-green, lus-
trous, and smooth above; initially fuzzy below,
becoming bluish-white and smooth; margins entire or
with a few to many spinose teeth (hollylike), apex
acute; base obtuse to rounded; petiole yellowish, sel-
dom more than 1/2’ long. The species has two types
of leaves, and it is quite common for both types to
be on the same plant, even on the same twig.
 151
Fruit: Nut (acorn) ovoid to oblong, 1/2’ to 2” long,
and about half as wide, initially somewhat fuzzy; cup
cylindrical or saucer-shaped; requires two seasons to
mature.

Twigs: Slender, rigid or flexible, fuzzy when new; older

twigs mostly smooth, reddish-brown, eventually
becoming grayish-brown.

Bark: Grayish-brown tinged with red, mostly smooth,

with small closely appressed scales, 3/4’’ to 1-1/2”
thick.

Habitat & Range: Occurs on dry, well-drained sites in

the sun, in open woods, in canyon bottoms, and on
mountain slopes. From southwestern Oregon south-
ward to northern Lower California, local in western
Nevada. Elevational range: 2,000 to 8,000 feet.

Remarks: Tolerant. Occurs in pure patches, but more

commonly associated with ponderosa pine, Douglas-
fir, incense-cedar, black oak and various live oaks.
Vigorous sprouter. The species is considered to be
the most ancient of the existing American oaks.

The wood has had only limited use, it is heavy,

hard and strong.

Quercus garryana Doug}.

Oregon white oak
Habit: Trees 40’ to 80’ tall and 2’ to 3’ in diameter,
with a broad compact crown.

Leaves: Deciduous, 3’’ to 6” long, 2” to 4-1/2” broad,

obovate or oblong, thick and leathery; dark green and
pubescent when new, becoming glabrous and some-
what lustrous above, paler and smooth or slightly
pubescent below; margins 7- to 9-lobed, lobes round
or bluntly pointed; sinuses frequently narrow,
rounded at the bottom; apex round; base
152
wedge-shaped; petiole 1/2’ to 1°’ long, pubescent.
The lobes often touch or overlap.

Fruit: Nut (acorn) oval or barrel-shaped, 3/4 to 1-1/2”

long half to 2/3 as wide; cup shallow; matures in one
season.

Twigs: Stout, ridged, initially

pubescent, becoming smooth,
greenish-brown or olive-
drab, becoming reddish-
brown and eventually gray;
pith stellate; several buds
are usually clustered at the
end of the twigs; bud
scales yellowish-brown and
tomentose. Phyllotaxy 2/5.

Bark: White to light brown Oregon white oak

or grayish-brown; shaggy
or with short, broad ridges and shallow furrows, less
than 1” thick.

Habitat & Range: On dry to moist, well-drained gravelly

soils in the valleys and lower foothills from south-
western British Columbia and Vancouver Island south-
ward principally on the Westside (west of the summit
of the Cascades and Sierras) to north-central California.
Elevational range: from near sea level in the north to
4,000 feet in the south.

Uses: Has had only limited use other than for fuel.
Potentially valuable for flooring, furniture, cooperage,
cabinet work, interior trim and ship building.

Remarks: Oregon white oak is the most abundant and

widely distributed oak in Oregon. It is the only native
oak found in eastern Oregon (Sherman County) where
it is associated with ponderosa pine and western
juniper. It is the only oak native to Washington and
British Columbia.
 153
Intolerant in Oregon; intermediate in tolerance in
California. Forms pure stands, or is associated with
madrone, Oregon ash, bigleaf maple, Douglas-fir,
ponderosa pine and black oak. Heavy seeder and
vigorous sprouter. The foliage is rich in protein.

Quercus kelloggii Newb.

California black oak

Habit: Trees 40’ to 80’ tall and 1’ to 2-1/2’ in diameter,
with an open, rounded crown; at high elevations it
may be a shrub up to 15’ high.

Leaves: Deciduous, 3’ to 6” long, 2” to 4” wide, oblong

to obovate; greenish-red and pubescent when they
first unfold, becoming yellow-green, smooth and
somewhat lustrous above, paler below, margins
mostly 7-lobed, lobes 3-toothed and bristle-tipped;
sinuses shallow to deep, rounded at the bottoms;
base obtuse or wedge-shaped; petiole 1’’ to 2” long.
Lobes often touch or overlap.

Fruit: Nut (acorn) long, oblong to oblong-ovoid, 1” to

2-1/2” long, chestnut-brown; cup encloses the bot-
tom 1/2’’; requires two growing seasons to mature.

Twigs: Reddish-brown, ridged, smooth or minutely

pubescent; buds about 1/4” long, chestnut-brown;
the scales minutely hairy along the edges; the buds
are commonly clustered at the ends of the twigs.

Bark: Dark gray or black and smooth on young trees;

on old trees dark brown, and often with a reddish
tinge or almost black, with broad, irregularly plated
ridges, about 1’ thick.

Habitat & Range: On dry, sandy, gravelly, or rocky

soils in the valleys, foothills and lower mountain
slopes on the west of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada
154
Mountains from south central Oregon southward to
southern California. Does not occur on the west slope
of the Coast Range in California. Elevational range:
from 1,000 feet in Oregon to 6,000 feet in southern
California.

Remarks: Intermediate
tolerance. Occurs as a
scattered tree or in open,
pure stands, but more com-
monly associated with
ponderosa pine, Douglas-
fir, incense-cedar, Oregon
white oak, and canyon
live oak.

Not yet commercially

important. However it is
sometimes used for California black oak
furniture and flooring and
occasionally for posts and tool handles. Deer feed
on the leaves and the acorns.

ULMACEAE Elm Family

Celtis L.
hackberry
Habit: Mostly deciduous trees occurring in the temper-
ate and tropical regions of both hemispheres.

Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, simple; margins mostly

serrate, occasionally entire. Netted veins.

Flowers: Both perfect and unisexual flowers on the

same tree.

Twigs: Slender, crooked; phyllotaxy 1/2; pith very fine’

chambered at the nodes; terminal buds absent.
 155
Celtis reticulata Torr.

netleaf hackberry
Habit: Shrubs or small trees up to 30’ tall.

Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, simple, 1’’ to 3-1/2” long,

ovate to ovate-lanceolate; dark green and ‘‘sand
papery” above, paler and pubescent along the veins
on the underside; margins serrate; apex acute to
acuminate and often falcate; base rounded or sub-
cordate, asymmetrical; 3-veined from the base of the
leaf; petiole 1/3” to 3/4” long.

Fruit: Dark brown or orange-red drupe, globose, about

1/4” in diameter.

Twigs: Round, crooked or zigzag; pith chambered at

the nodes; terminal buds absent; bud scales imbri-
cated.
Bark: Grayish-brown, ridged and furrowed.
Habitat & Range: Found on dry, gravelly soils, near
streams, from Washington southward on the east of
the Cascade Mountains in Oregon to eastern and
southern California; eastward to Wyoming, Colorado,
Oklahoma, and Texas.

BERBERIDACEAE Barberry Family

Berberis

Oregon-grape holly-grape
Habit: Evergreen shrubs with pinnately compound
leaves, leaflets hollylike.

Leaves: Persistent, alternate, pinnately compound with

3 to 21 leaflets which are stiff and leathery; margins
spinose; leaflets sessile or petiolate.

Flowers: Perfect; yellow.

Fruit: Dark blue berry, about 1/4’ in diameter.

156
Remarks: Inner bark and wood is yellow. Some species
susceptible to black-stem wheat rust.

KEY TO THE OREGON-GRAPES

1. Prostrate shrub, leaflets 3 to 7, mostly 5. B. repens

1. Erect shrubs. 2

2. Leaflets 11 to 21; midrib not prominent;

clustered at the end of the stems. B. nervosa

2. Leaflets 5 to 9; midrib prominent; leaves

alternate. B. aquifolium

Berberis aquifolium Pursh.

tall Oregon-grape
Habit: Erect, evergreen STATE FLOWER
shrubs 3’ to 10’ tall,
with dark green glossy
leaves.

Leaves: 6’ to 12” long,

alternate, pinnately
compound with 5 to 9
leaflets, leaflets broadly
lanceolate to ovate;
dark glossy green above,
paler beneath; leaflet
margins spinose; terminal
leaflet petiolate, lateral tall Oregon-grape
leaflets mostly sessile;
midrib distinct.

Fruit: Dark blue berries about 3/16” in diameter.

Habitat & Range: Found on dry to moist, well-drained

sites in the sun or shade; from British Columbia
 157
southward on the Westside to northern California;
also northeastern Oregon.

Remarks: Tolerant. The state flower of Oregon. Fruit

is eaten by many birds and mammals. Makes good
jelly. Nurserymen and florists use the foliage for
greenery.

Berberis nervosa Pursh

dwarf Oregon-grape
Habit: Low, evergreen shrub with pinnately compound
leaves; seldom over 30” high.

Leaves: 10’’ to 16” long, pinnately compound with 11

to 21 leaflets, leaflets ovate to ovate-lanceolate,
sessile, except for the terminal leaflet which is
petiolate; dark glossy green above, paler beneath and
without a distinct midrib; the leaves are clustered at
the ends of the stems.

Fruit: Similar to 8B. aquifolium.

Twigs: Stout; numerous, light brown, lanceolate bud

scales persist at the ends of the stems.

Habitat & Range: Moist, well-drained sites in the sun or

shade; on the west of the Cascade
and Sierra Nevada Mountains from
British Columbia southward into
northern California, also north-
eastern Oregon, and Idaho.
Remarks: Very tolerant. Common
in the understory in the Pacific
Coast forests. Florists use the
foliage for greenery. Birds and
small mammals eat the fruit.

dwarf Oregon-grape
158 Berberis repens (Lindl!.) G. Don.
creeping Oregon-grape
Habit: An evergreen, prostrate, creeping shrub seldom
over 10” high.

Leaves: 4’ to 8” long, pinnately compound with 3 to 7

leaflets, mostly 5; ovate, ovate-oblong or oblong; dull
green above, smooth and paler beneath; margins
spinose; lateral leaflets sessile, terminal leaflet
petiolate; midrib prominent.

Fruit: Similar to B. agu/folium.

Twigs: Slender, often taking root at the nodes.

Habitat & Range: Found on dry, well-drained sites in the

sun or shade in the mountains, from southern British
Columbia southward on the east of the Cascade and
Sierra Nevada Mountains to northern California;
also the Rocky Mountains and the Black Hills.

Remarks: Probably the most common and widely dis-

tributed Berberis in the West. Browsed some by deer.

LAURACEAE Laurel Family

Umbellularia (Nees) Nutt.

California-laurel
NOTE: Umbellularia is a monotypic genus and the
features are described under the species.

Umbellularia californica (Hook. & Arn.) Nutt.

California-laurel bay Oregon-myrtle
Habit: Large, evergreen trees 60’ to 100’ tall and 2‘ to
5’ in diameter, with aromatic foliage; often multiple-
stemmed when growing in the open, and with a
dome-shaped crown, or a prostrate to erect shrub up
to 15’ high.
 159
Leaves: Persistent, alternate, simple, aromatic, 2-1/2”
to 5-1/2" long and up to 1”’ wide, elliptical to oblong-
lanceolate; dark green glabrous and shiny above,
paler and smooth below; margins entire; apex acute,
base broadly acute to round; petiole round, yellow-
green, 1/2" to 3/4” long. Very strong-scented when
chrushed.

Flowers: Perfect, inconspicuous, yellowish.

Fruit: Bluish-black, olivelike drupe, about 3/4” in

diameter, with a conical, golf-tee stalk; seed large.

Twigs: Round, slender, light green and smooth,

eventually becoming grayish-brown.

Bark: On young trees smooth and dull grayish-brown;

on old trees thin, dark reddish-brown and scaly.

Habitat & Range: Found on moist, well-drained sites in

the sun or shade, on bottomlands, hillsides, and
mountain slopes; from southwestern Oregon south-
ward in the Sierra and Coast Ranges to southern
California.

Uses: Turnery items, novelties, veneer, furniture,

cabinet work, keel blocks and friction blocks.

Remarks: Tolerant to very tolerant. Vigorous sprouter.

Occurs in pure stands or associated with bigleaf
maple, red alder, tanoak, madrone, California syca-
more and Douglas-fir, also with the chaparral species
in the Sierra-Nevada Mountains.
The aromtic leaves and volatile oils will irritate the
tender membranes of the eyes and nose.
The burls and wood of this species exhibit the
greatest range in color and figure of any of the
American woods.
Contrary to what is claimed by some individuals, this
is not the same species (or even the same genus) that
grows in the Holy Land.
160
SAXIFRAGACEAE Saxifrage Family

HY DRANGEOIDEAE Hydrangea Sub-Family

Philadelphus L.

mock-orange
Habit: Opposite-branched,
moist-site shrubs with
showy flowers.

Leaves: Deciduous, oppo-

site, simple; margin entire
to remotely serrate.

Flowers: Perfect, white,

solitary or clustered.

Fruit: 4-celled capsule.

mock-orange
Remarks: Considerable variation occurs in many of the
species and it is quite likely that several of the species
will cross.

KEY TO THE MOCK-ORANGES

West of summit of the Cascade Mt. P. gordonianus

East of summit of the Cascade Mt. P. lewisii

Philadelphus lewisii Pursh

Lewis mock-orange
Habit: Loosely branched shrub up to 12’ tall.

Leaves: 1’ to 3” long, ovate to elliptical-ovate; light

green and smooth above, paler and smooth beneath;
margins nearly entire or with a few glandular serra-
tions; apex acute; base rounded; 3- to 5-veined from
the base or near the base; petiole about 1/2” long.
 161
Flowers: White, 3/4” to 1” broad.

Fruit: Light brown capsule about 1/4” long.

Twigs: Slender, opposite, tan or light brown; branching

often widely-dichotomous.

Bark: Light brown and smooth.

Habitat & Range: Occurs on moist, well-drained sites in
the sun; on the east of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada
Mountains from British Columbia southward to
Central California, eastward to Montana. Usually
found at the lower elevations.
Remarks: Browsed by deer. Planted as an ornamental.

Philadelphus gordonianus Lindl.

Gordon mock-orange
Remarks: Very much like Lewis mock-orange; almost
indistinguishable from it except by range. Many
botanists consider this to be a variety of P. /ewisii.
Gordon mock-orange leaves tend to have sparse, fine
pubescence on upper or lower surface, and are more
likely than Lewis mock-orange to have definite, but
widely spaced, glandular teeth.

Range: Occurs on the Westside of the Cascades, from

British Columbia to northern California.

RIBESIOIDEAE Currant Sub-Family

Ribes L.
currants; gooseberries
Habit: Shrubs.

Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, simple, small, palmately

lobed and veined; leaves of some species have velvety
underside.
162
Flowers: Perfect; in racemes; petals united to form a
tube or funnel.

Fruit: Smooth or glandular berry; edible.

Twigs: Smooth or armed with simple or forked spines

at the nodes, and often with prickles or bristles
between the nodes. Lenticels horizontal; bark tends
to exfoliate in some species.

Remarks: Shrubs. Most species with spines and prickles

are called gooseberries. The other species, including
the unarmed Ribes, are called currants. Nearly all
species are the alternate host of whitepine blister rust.

KEY TO CURRENTS AND GOOSEBERRIES

1. Stems armed with spines at nodes, and often with

prickles or bristles between nodes. Z

1. Stems unarmed. 3

2. Spines 3 to several parted, weak; berries fall

free from their stalks when ripe; calyx
saucer-shaped. R. lacustre

2. Spines mostly single, stiff; berries fall with

stalks attached; calyx not saucer-shaped, often
with spreading lobes. GOOSEBERRIES (A. spp.)

3. Leaves 1-1/2” to 3” (or larger), 3- to 5-lobed;

velvety underside. Flowers red; berries blue-black.
R. sanguineum

3. Leaves less than 1°’ in diameter, round; not dis-

tinctly lobed; doubly serrate margins; upper
surface whitish, waxy. Flowers greenish-white to
pink; berries red or orange. R. cereum
 163
Ribes sanguineum Pursh
red-flowering currant
Habit: Loosely branched shrub
up to 10’ tall.

Leaves: 1-1/2’ to 3’’ (occasion-

ally up to 4-1/2’’) in diameter;
dark green and somewhat
pubescent above; paler and
with a velvety pubescence
beneath; palmately 3- to
5-lobed and veined, lobe
margins serrated; base cordate,
petiole 1’ to 1-1/2” long,
glandular pubescent.
red-flowering currant
Flowers: Red, borne in long,
showy racemes.

Fruit: Dark blue berry with stalked glands, covered with

a white, waxy coating.

Twigs: Round, green and pubescent, becoming smooth

and reddish-brown.

Bark: Reddish- to grayish-brown; splits longitudinally

revealing vertical rows of horizontal lenticels.
Habitat & Range: Occurs on dry to moist, well-drained
sites in the sun or shade, on the west of the Cascade
and Sierra Nevada Mountains from Washington
southward to central California.
Ribes lacustre (Pers.) Poir.
prickly currant swamp currant
Habit: Tolerant, moist-site spiny shrub, up to 4’ tall,
sometimes trailing.

Leaves: 3/4’ to 2-1/2" broad; palmately 3- to 5- lobed,

deeply incised and serrate. Underside rather
velvety.
164
Stems: Armed at nodes with 3- to several-parted spines;
prickles sometimes present between nodes.

Flowers: Greenish, in racemes; saucer-shaped calyx.

Fruit: Purplish-black berry; falls free from its stalk when

ripe.

Habitat & Range: Moist woods. Widely distributed,

from California to Alaska and to Atlantic states.
Eastern and western Oregon.

Ribes cereum Doudgl.

Wax currant squaw currant

Habit: Much-branched shrubs, up to 6’ tall.

Leaves: Very small, round,

usually less than 1” in
diameter; white waxy
upper surface; margin
doubly serrate; not dis-
tinctly lobed.

Stems: Unarmed; bark

smooth, light gray.

Flowers: Tubular, greenish-

white to pinkish.
wax Currant
Fruit: Red to orange berries.

Habitat & Range: Dry woods or rocky slopes. Eastern

Oregon and Washington, the Siskiyous; also California,
British Columbia, and eastward to South Dakota.
 165
ROSACEAE Rose Family

Amelanchier Med.

serviceberry
Habit: Shrubs or small trees.
Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, simple, prominently
penniveined; 1°’ to 2”’ long, oval to oblong-oval;
upper 1/4 to 3/4 of margin serrate; lower part of
margin entire; apex rounded; base round or sub-
cordate; petiole about 1/2” long.
Flowers: Perfect. White, with long, straplike petals;
in short racemes.

Fruit: Small, red to dark purple pome (apple), up to

1/2" in diameter.
Remarks: Serviceberries are found in North America,
Europe, and Asia. Several species are attractive
ornamentals. Many species are so similar that it is
difficult to distinguish among them. All are hosts of
the cedar apple fungus.

KEY TO SERVICEBERRIES*

1. West of summit of Cascade Mt. A. florida

1. East of summit of Cascade Mt. ?4

2. Leaf veins branch near the serrate margins

A. cusickii

2. Leaf veins run out to teeth. A. alnifolia

*These distinctions are not clear-cut.

Amelanchier florida Lindl.

pacific serviceberry western Serviceberry

Habit: Large shrubs or small trees up to 40’ tall and 6”
in diameter.
166
Leaves: As described for the genus. Veins tend to run
out to the teeth.

Flowers: As described for the genus.

Fruit: Smooth, dark blue pome (apple) 1/4’ to 1/2” in

diameter.

Twigs: Slender, smooth; reddish-brown when young,

becoming grayish-brown; buds about 1/2”’ long with
dark reddish-brown imbricated scales that are hairy
along the margins.

Bark: Thin, light brown and tinged with red; smooth or

shallowly fissured.

Habitat & Range: Occurs on moist, well-drained sites in

the sun or partial shade, from southern Alaska, south-
ward on the west of the Cascade Mountains to
northwestern California.

Remarks: Many botanists con-

sider this species as a variety
of A. alnifolia. The Range
Plant Handbook states that
Pacific serviceberry is more
likely to be arborescent, the
leaves thinner, narrower, and
less hairy underneath, and
the flowers tend to be larger
and showier than Saskatoon
serviceberry. upPER 4- WAMARGIN
TOOTHED

pacific serviceberry
 167
Amelanchier alnifolia Nutt.

saskatoon serviceberry
Characteristics: Very similar to A. florida. Pomes
purplish-black, smooth.

Habitat & Range: Occurs on dry, rocky soils or on

moist, deep soils in the sun or light shade. Ranges
from the Yukon southward on the east side of the
Cascades to southern Oregon and California, and
eastward to western Ontario, Minnesota, and north-
eastern Nebraska. Elevational range: near sea level
to 9,000 feet. The most widely distributed and
common of the serviceberries. Intermediate tolerance.

Remarks: Forms pure thickets, or commonly associated

with aspen, chokecherry, bitter cherry, Oregon crab
apple, and manzanita. The foliage and young twigs
are relished by deer and elk; many birds and mam-
mals feed on the fruits.

Amelanchier cusicki/ Fern.

Cusick serviceberry
Characteristics: Very similar to A. a/nifolia, except the
leaf veins tend to branch near the leaf margins.
Some botanists consider it a variety of A. florida.

Habitat & Range: Stony hillsides and moist sites

between Cascades and mountains of Idaho. Associ-
ated with A. a/nifolia.

Cercocarpus H.B.K.

mountain-mahogany cercocarpus
Habit: Deciduous or evergreen shrubs or small trees
with short spurlike lateral branchlets, and a 1-seeded
fruit that has a long, plumed tail.
168
Leaves: Deciduous, semi-persistent or persistent,
alternate, simple; petiole very short.

Flowers: Perfect; borne singly or in clusters; petals

absent, the sepals are united into a tube which expands
or flares out at the top into a funnel.
Fruit: A slender elliptical or narrow-oblong achene, with
a long curled or twisted plume.
Twigs: Somewhat stiff, spur shoots common on older
branches.
Remarks: This genus is restricted to western United
States and Mexico, and consists of about 20 species.
The scientific name is derived from the plumed or
tailed fruit; the common name has reference to the
mountainous habitat, and to the hard and heavy
character of the wood.

KEY TO THE MOUNTAIN-MAHOGANIES

Leaves elliptical; margins smooth and revolute.

C. ledifolius

Leaves obovate; margins serrated above, smooth and

wedge-shaped below. C. betuloides

Cercocarpus betuloides Nutt.

birchleaf mountain-mahogany birchleaf cercocarpus
Habit: An erect evergreen shrub up to 15’ tall, or
occasionally attaining tree size and up to 40’ in height.

Leaves: Persistent, alternate, but commonly clustered

at the ends of spur shoots, 1/2’’ to 1-1/2’ long, and
about 2/3 as wide, obovate; conspicuously penni-
veined; dark green or yellow-green and smooth above,
paler and occasionally slightly pubescent on the
underside; margins serrated above the middle, entire
below; apex round; base wedge-shaped; petiole less
than 1/4” long.
 169
Flowers: Small, inconspicuous, reddish-tinged.

Fruit: Slender achene, 1/3’ to 1/2” long, tipped with a

plumose tall up to 3” long.

Twigs: Very slender, reddish-brown and glaucous,

becoming gray-reddish-brown and eventually grayish-
brown; numerous spur shoots on older twigs.

Habitat & Range: Occurs on the drier foothills and

lower mountain slopes in the sun, from southern
Oregon southward into lower California, eastward
to central Arizona.

Remarks: Used locally for fuel and turnery items. Good

deer browse.

Cercocarpus /edifolius Nutt.

curlleaf mountain-mahogany curlleaf cercocarpus
Habit: An erect evergreen shrub up to 15’ tall, or
occasionally a small tree up to 40’ tall and 1° to 2’
in diameter.

Leaves: Persistent; alternate, or clustered on the ends

of spur shoots, 1/2” to 1’’ long, narrowly elliptical;
pubescent when they first unfold, becoming smooth
and dark green above, paler and more or less
pubescent on the underside; thick and leathery;
margins entire and revolute; both ends acute; petiole
very short.

Flowers: Small, inconspicuous, trumpet-shaped,

pubescent.

Fruit: Cylindrical to elliptical hairy achene, 1/3” to

1/2” long; plumed tail 1-1/2’' to 2” long, twisted.

Twigs: New twigs reddish-brown and somewhat

pubescent, but later becoming smooth and sometimes
glaucous; older twigs silvery-gray to grayish-brown
170
stout. Spur shoots and short stiff lateral branches
common.

Bark: On larger specimens reddish-to

grayish-brown, with deep wide furrows,
and ridges that break up into thin
plate-like scales.

Habitat & Range: Found on

warm, dry, rocky, ridges;
from eastern Oregon south-
ward to southeastern
California, eastward to
western Montana, Colorado
and northern Arizona; also
northern Lower California. EVERGREEN PERUITS
Elevational range: 2,000 MARGINS CURL UNDER
to 9,000 feet.
curlleaf mountain-mahogany
Remarks:
Curlleaf mountain-mahogany attains the largest size
of any of the species in the genus, and is the one most
likely to attain tree size. Used locally for fuel and
for smoking meats.

In some localities it is an important browse for deer

and elk. Patches of curlleaf mountain-mahogany are
reputed to be likely places to jump buck deer during
the hunting season.

Crataegus L.
hawthorn
Habit: Trees or shrubs with scaly bark and armed twigs.

Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, simple, membraneous or

thickened; petiolate; stipulate.

Flowers: Perfect; borne in clusters, white to red in

color.
 171
Fruit: Round to ovoid pome (apple), 1/4’ to 1” in
diameter.

Twigs: Armed with thorns; lack terminal buds; bud

scales red or reddish-brown and lustrous.

Remarks: This genus has an abundance of species,

varieties and hybrids taxonomically very difficult
to identify with any great degree of certainty.

KEY TO THE HAWTHORNS

Thorns an inch long or longer; fruit red. C. columbiana

Thorns usually less than 1’’ long; fruit black.

C. douglasii

Crataegus columbiana Howell

columbia hawthorn
Habit: Thicket-forming shrubs.

Leaves: 1-1/4’ to 2-1/2’ long, obovate to nearly oval;

alternate or clustered at ends of spur shoots; dark
green, lustrous and smooth above, paler and smooth
beneath; apex rounded; base wedge-shaped; upper
margin doubly serrate, lower margin finely serrate
or entire; petiole up to 1/2” long.

Fruit: Dark red pome, about 1/4” in diameter.

Twigs: Similar to C. douglasii.

Bark: Similar to C. doug/asii.

Habitat & Range: Dry to moist sites in the sun; from

southeastern British Columbia southward on the
east of the Cascade Mountains to northeastern Cali-
fornia; eastward from the Cascades, along the
Columbia River and its tributaries to Idaho.
172
Crataegus douglasii Lindl.

black hawthorn

Habit: A thicket-forming, erect shrub up to 10’ tall, or

occasionally a small tree 20’ to 30’ tall and 3” to 6”
in diameter with stiff branches armed with thorns.

Leaves: 1-1/2’' to 4” long, obovate, obovate-elliptical or

ovate; alternate, or clustered on spur shoots, dark
green or yellow-green, smooth and commonly lus-
trous, paler beneath; margins doubly serrate or lobed
and serrate; apex acute; base wedge-shaped; petiole
1/2” to 1” long, grooved above, green but turning red
when exposed to the sun.

Flowers: White and clustered.

Fruit: Black, round pome, about 1/4” in diameter.

Twigs: New twigs brown to

reddish-brown and smooth,
grayish-brown on older growth;
terminal buds absent, lateral
buds subglobose with red
imbricated scales; spur shoots
commonly found on older
branches; armed with sharp,
reddish-brown thorns.

black hawthorn

Bark: Thin, dark reddish-brown, shallowly fissured and

scaly near the base of the plant.

Habitat & Range: Found on moist, well-drained, sandy

or gravelly soils; from extreme southeastern Alaska
southward, on both sides of the Cascades, to central
California and western Nevada, eastward to northern
Michigan and Wyoming.
 173
southward, on both sides of the Cascades, to central
California and western Nevada, eastward to northern
Michigan and Wyoming.
Remarks: Grows in dense thickets, or associated with
chokecherry, willow, red alder, bigleaf maple, Oregon
white oak, Oregon ash, bitter cherry, Douglas-fir and
grand fir.

Thickets provide excellent cover for birds and small

mammals; the pomes are eaten by birds and small
mammals. Browse value variable.

Holodiscus Maxim.

Habit: Deciduous shrubs.

Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, simple; margins entire,

serrated or shallowly lobed and serrated; petiole
short.

Flowers: Perfect; small; borne in conspicuous, dense,

terminal clusters.

Fruit: 1-seeded follicle.

Remarks: A small genus of 5 species and varieties;

confined to western North America.

Holodiscus discolor (Pursh) Maxim.

ocean spray
Habit: Erect, loosely branched shrub up to 15’ tall.

Leaves: 3/4’ to 2-1/2” long, ovate; green and minutely

pubescent above, paler and more or less pubescent
beneath; margins coarsely toothed or very shallowly
lobed and serrate, entire near the base; apex acute;
base broadly obtuse or wedge-shaped; prominently
pinnately veined (venation pattern resembles a set
of chevrons); petiole up to 3/4” long.
174
Flowers: Very small, white- or creamy-white, borne in
dense terminal clusters.

Fruit: Light brown, tiny, 1-seeded follicle; fruit clusters

persist into the winter, or until the next growing
season.

Twigs: Slender, initially minute pubescent, becoming

smooth; slightly ribbed when young; pith large, white
and spongy. Phyllotaxy 2/5.

Habitat & Range: Tolerant.

Found on moist, well-
drained sites in the sun
and shade; from south
central California north-
ward to British Columbia,
eastward to Idaho.

Remarks: Browsed by
Olympic
.
elk and deer.5 The S
LOOK FOR
Indians used the straighter TMEGER ORES
stems for arrow shafts,
hence one of the common ocean spray
names for the species
“Arrowwood.”

Osmaronia Greene

Indian-plum
NOTE: This is a monotypic genus (see the species
description).

Osmaronia cerasiformis (T. & G.) Greene

Indian-plum osoberry
Habit: Erect shrub with light green foliage, up to 15’ tall.

Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, simple, oblong-elliptical,

oblong-lanceolate or oblong-ovate, 1-1/2” to 5” long,
up to 1-1/4" wide; light green and smooth above,
 175
paler beneath; margins entire to slightly wavy; apex
and base both acute; petiole up to 3/4” long. Fresh
foliage has the taste of cucumbers. Leafs out very
early in the spring, usually in advance of other species.

Flowers: Dioecious; whitish-green.

CHAMBERED
Fruit: Ovoid, bluish-black,
plumlike drup, up to
1/2” long.

Twigs: Slender, green,

becoming reddish-brown;
pith chambered; buds about
1/4” long, ovoid-conical;
bud scales green, eventually
becoming reddish-tinged.

Bark: Smooth, reddish-brown Indian-plum

to dark gray.

Habitat & Range: Grows on moist, well-drained sites in

the sun or shade; from British Columbia southward
into California, on the west of the Cascade Mountains.

Remarks: Poor forage. Birds often eat the fruit before

it matures.

Malus Mill.

apple
Habit: Trees or shrubs, many species of which produce
edible fruits.

Leaves: Deciduous to semi-persistent, simple, alternate

or clustered on the ends of spur shoots; margins
entire, serrate or lobed and serrated; petiolate;
stipulate.
 176
Flowers: Perfect; borne singly or in clusters, white to
pink in color.

Fruit: Small to large pome (apple).

Twigs: Slender to stout; spur shoots or spinose lateral

branchlets are to be found on the older branches.

Remarks: Widely distributed throughout the Northern

Hemisphere. The genus has a great number of species
,
varieties and hybrids, making it difficult in many
instances to identify specimens.

Malus diversifolia (Bong.) Roem.

Oregon crab apple
Habit: Large shrubs often growing in thickets, or small
trees up to 40’ tall and 10” to 18” in diameter.

Leaves: Deciduous, 1’ to 4” long, ovate, ovate-

lanceolate, oblong-ovate, oval or elliptical; pubescent
on both surfaces where new, becoming dark green to
yellow-green and glabrous above, paler and slightly
pubescent below; margins serrate or 1- to 3-lobed and
serrate; apex acute; base broadly wedge-shaped to
rounded; petiole stout, 1‘’ to 1-1/2” long, smooth
or
minutely pubescent.

Flowers: About 1/2” across, white, clustered.

Fruit: Globose to oblong-ovate pome, 5/16” to

3/4” in
diameter, yellow-green to red.

Twigs: Moderately slender, pubescent the first season,

becoming reddish-brown and smooth, later grayish-
brown; spur shoots abundant on older branches
.

Habitat & Range: On moist sites near streams and other

wet places, in the sun or partial shade; from
southern
Alaska southward to northwestern California
(on the
west of the Cascade Mountains in the Pacific
Northwest.
 177
Remarks: Fruit eaten by birds.

Purshia D.C.

Habit: Shrubs.

Leaves: Persistent (deciduous under special circum-

stances); simple, alternate, or clustered on spur
shoots; cuneate (wedge-shaped); apex 3-lobed;
margins revolute (curled under).

Flowers: Yellow, tube-shaped.

Fruit: Tear-shaped, bitter tasting achene.

Remarks: There are two species in this genus, and both

are indigenous to western United States.

Purshia tridentate (Pursh) D.C.

bitterbrush Antelope brush
Habit: An erect, much-branched,
evergreen shrub, 2‘ to 10’ high,
with small, 3-lobed, wedge-
shaped leaves.

Leaves: Wedge-shaped, 1/4’ to

3/4” long; persistent; alternate
but commonly clustered on
short spur shoots; green to
grayish-green above and finely
pubescent above, white to
grayish-white and pubescent
below; margins smooth and
LEAF MARGINS ROLLED UNDER
revolute (rolled under); apex
3-lobed; base wedge-shaped; bitterbrush
petiole very short. The
foliage is similar in shape to that of big sagebrush, but
is smaller, darker and non-aromatic.
178
Flowers: Small, tubular, yellow, borne singly.

Fruit: Single or paired, elliptical or tear-shaped achene

with a tapered tip or beak, bitter tasting.

Twigs: Spur shoots abundant; main twigs slender,

reddish-brown and smooth, becoming gray-reddish
brown, bitter.

Bark: Thin, gray to grayish-brown or brown.

Habitat & Range: Found on sandy to gravelly and rocky

soils in the dry plains, foothills and mountain slopes;
found in the intermountain region between the
Cascade and Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Rocky
Mountains. Elevational range: 200 to 9,000 feet.

Remarks: An important winter browse for elk, deer, and

antelope.

Although bitterbrush is normally evergreen, in some

localities, and in some years, it is deciduous.

Physocarpus Maxim.
ninebark
Habit: Loosely branched shrubs with thin, exfoliating
bark.

Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, simple, palmately lobed

and veined; petiolate.

Flowers: Perfect. White or occasionally pink, borne in

terminal clusters.

Fruit: Follicle.

Remarks: Essentially a North American (1 Asiatic

species) group.
 179
KEY TO THE NINEBARKS

Leaf lobes acute; leaves smooth or slightly pubescent

above. ] P. capitatus

Leaf lobes round; leaves usually pubescent on both

surfaces. P. malvaceus

Physocarpus capitatus (Pursh) Ktze.

ninebark
Habit: Large erect, spreading shrubs up to 12’ high;
with maplelike leaves and thin, shreddy bark.

Leaves: 1-1/2’ to 3-1/2’ long, nearly as wide, oval to

round-ovate in outline; dark green, glabrous and
somewhat shiny above, paler and somewhat pubes-
cent beneath; margins 3- to 5-lobed; lobes pointed
and their margins are serrated; petioles 3/4” to 1-1/2”
long.

Flowers: Small, white, borne in a dense hemispherical

cluster.

Fruit: Follicle reddish-brown

to brown, 1/4” to 1/3”
long.

Bark: Thin, orange-brown

or gray-yellowish brown,
breaks up into long strips
or shreds and eventually
exfoliates.
Habitat & Range: Occurs on
moist, well-drained sites in
the sun or shade; from SHREDDED BARK
British Columbia south the ninebark
central California, east into western Montana.

Remarks: An inferior browse plant.

180
Physocarpus malvaceus (Greene) Ktze.
mallow ninebark
Habit: Erect, loosely branched shrub up to 8’ tall, with
maplelike leaves and shreddy bark.

Leaves: Orbicular, 1’ to 2-1/2” in diameter; dark green

and pubescent above, paler and pubescent beneath,
palmately 3-lobed (occasionally 2 smaller basal lobes)
lobe margins doubly serrate, lobe apices round or
broadly acute; base subcordate; petiole 1/2’’ to 3/4”
long.

Flowers: Smal!, white, borne in a hemispherical cluster;

stems pubescent.

Fruit: Follicle, 1/4” to 1/3”

long, brown.

Twigs: Reddish-brown to gray-

ish-brown, splits longitudinally
into long strips, eventually
exfoliates.

Habitat & Range: Found on dry

rocky slopes in the sun or
under open timber; British Wl
Columbia south to Nevada ' s HREDDY
LOOSE BARK
eastward to Montana and
Wyoming. mallow ninebark

Remarks: Poor to fair browse: low palatability for

cattle; but good nutritive qualities. Rootstocks yel-
low inside. Probably the most common and widely
distributed ninebark in the West.

Prunus L.

cherry or plum
Habit: Trees or shrubs.
 181
Leaves: Deciduous (or persistent), alternate, simple;
with prominent glands at the base of the leaf blade
and/or on the petiole.

Flowers: Perfect. Solitary or clustered, white to pink.

Fruit: Fleshy drupe.

Twigs: Slender to stout; spur shoots common on older

branches; bitter to the taste.

Bark: Scaly or curling; lenticels frequently conspicuous.

Remarks: Cyanic compounds in the foliage at certain

seasons may be toxic to stock.

KEY TO SOME CHERRIES AND PLUMS

1. Flower and fruit stalk long raceme; leaves ovate;

glands on leaf petiole only. P. virginiana

1. Flowers and fruits not borne on an elongated stalk. 2

2. Leaves broadly ovate to oval. P. subcordata

2. Leaves elliptical or oblong-elliptical, usually

thin. P. emarginata

Prunus emarginata Dougl.

bitter cherry
Habit: Trees 20’ to 50’ tall and 5” to 18” in diameter,
crown oblong to somewhat conical; bark bronze
colored.

Leaves: 1’ to 3” long, elliptical, obovate-elliptical or

oblong-obovate; dark green and glabrous above, paler
and initially minutely pubescent below but soon
becoming smooth; margins finely serrate, minute
glands on the basal serrations (occasionally on the
petiole).
182
Flowers: White, borne in a loose, round cluster.

Fruit: Bright red, juicy, bitter drupe, about 1/4” in

diameter.

Twigs: Round and slender, initially minutely pubescent,

but soon becoming smooth and dark reddish-brown;
spur shoots are common on the older twigs and
branches.

Bark: Thin, dark reddish-brown or grayish-bronze,

smooth, but tending to break and curl crosswise;
horizontal slitlike lenticels prominent.

Habitat & Range: Found on dry to moist and well-

drained, sandy and gravelly soils in the sun or partial
shade; from British Comumbia southward to southern
California, eastward to
western Montana and
southwestern New
Mexico. Elevational
range: from about 150
feet in the northern part
of its range to 9,000
feet in southern
California.

Uses: Wood suitable for

fine furniture.

Remarks: Tends to form

thickets, or is associated .
with Douglas-fir, bitter cherry
dogwood, grand fir, bigleaf maple, and cascara.
Intolerant to intermediate in tolerance. Deer and
elk browse the leaves and twigs, and numerous
birds and mammals feed on the fruits.
 183
Prunus subcordata Benth.

Klamath plum
Habit: Thicket-forming shrubs or small trees up to 25’
tall.

Leaves: 1’ to 3’ long, broadly ovate or oval, somewhat

thickened; minutely pubescent when they first
unfold, but soon dark green, smooth and lustrous
above, paler below; margins serrate to doubly serrate;
apex and base both rounded. Glands on the petiole;
frequently on the lowest serration as well.

Flowers: White, borne in a loose, round cluster.

Fruit: Oblong, 1/2’ to 1-1/4” long, yellow, dark red or

purple in color; seed about 1/2” to 3/4” long,
ridged on one side.

Twigs: Slender, eventually smooth and reddish-brown

with conspicuous lenticels, older branches grayish-
brown and with numerous spur shoots.

Bark: Grayish-brown, fissured and broken into plates

which may be scaly, about 1/4” thick.

Habitat & Range: Found on dry to moist and well-

drained, sandy and gravelly soils; from southern
Oregon south to central California. In Oregon most
abundant in Klamath and Lake counties.

Remarks: Intolerant. Tends to form pure thickets or is

associated with black hawthorn, Oregon crab apple,
chokecherry and ponderosa pine.

Attempts are being made to improve and domesticate

the species. The fruits make an excellent jelly or
preserves.

Good browse.
184
Prunus virginiana L.
common chokecherry
Habit: Large shrub, or a small tree up to 30’ tall.

Leaves: 2’ to 4” long, 1" to

2” wide, oblong-ovate,
obovate or obovate-
elliptical; dark green or
yellow-green, smooth and
somewhat lustrous above,
paler below and occasion-
ally minutely pubescent;
margins serrate; apex acute;
base round; petiole about
1” long, grooved above,
and with 2 or 3 prominent
glands just below the MOC RBM
leaf blade. common chokecherry

Flowers: White, borne in an elongated raceme, 3’ to 6”

long.

Fruit: Round drupe, 1/4" to 3/8” in diameter, dark

purple, juicy.

Twigs: When new, green-brown, smooth or pubescent,

later reddish-brown and smooth; spur shoots com-
mon on older branches.

Bark: Thin, broken and scaly; lenticels not evident.

Habitat & Range: Found on dry or moist, well-drained,

sandy, gravelly or rocky soils. Ranges across Canada
and Northern United States, in the West south to
southern California, Arizona and New Mexico.
Elevational range: near sea level to 4,000 feet in
Oregon and Washington; up to 7,000 feet in California.
 185
Remarks: Good browse for deer and elk. Many birds eat
the fruit. Fruit is used for jellies and wines.

Rosa L.

rose

Habit: Erect or climbing shrubs with pinnately com-

pound leaves; stems usually armed.

Leaves: Deciduous (rarely persistent), alternate, pin-

nately compound with serrated leaflets; stipulate.

Flowers: Perfect; usually large and showy, borne singly

or in clusters.

Fruit: Bony, hairy achenes borne in a pulpy body

termed a “hip’’; calyx deciduous or persistent.

Stems: Usually armed with fine or coarse prickles.

Remarks: This is a large genus containing numerous

species, varieties, and hybrids which at times may be
difficult to identify with any great degree of cer-
tainty. The hips are rich in vitamin C and are
important winter feed for birds.

KEY TO THE ROSES

1. Stems armed with coarse, oval-based prickles.

Calyx persists on hip. 2

1. Stems armed with fine, needlelike prickles.

Calyx deciduous. R. gymnocarpa

2. Stems tend to be crooked; bruised foliage does

not have a sweet ciderlike odor. R. multiflora

2. Stems straight or slightly crooked; bruised

foliage has a sweet ciderlike odor.
R. rubiginosa
186
Rosa gymnocarpa Nutt.
little wood rose
Habit: Finely branched, tolerant, moist-site shrub up to
6“ tall; stems armed with fine prickles.

Leaves: 2” to 3-1/2” long, ai

with 5 to 7 oval or i
elliptical-ovate leaflets
which are 1/2” to 3/4”
long; dark green and smooth
above paler and smooth
beneath, or rarely minutely
pubescent; margins doubly
serrate; leaflets petiolate;
rachis and petioles
minutely glandular- a ihe!
pubescent; paired stipules =e Ri
at the base of the rachis stipuLces|
landular-pubescent. 2
g i little wood rose
Flowers: Pink, borne singly or up to 4 in a cluster.

Fruit: Hip (containing achenes) is orange-red, glabrous,

elliptical or flask-shaped, calyx deciduous.

Stems: Armed with numerous straight, slender prickles,

or rarely with few prickles.

Habitat & Range: Occurs on moist sites in the wood or

in the open. Widely distributed throughout the West
from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast, and
from British Columbia to southern California.

Remarks: The hips are eaten by most birds; deer and

elk browse the foliage. The most important of the
native roses on western ranges.
 187
Rosa mu!tiflora Thumb.

Habit: An erect shrub with arching or drooping stems.

Leaves: 2’ to 4” long, with 5 to 9 obovate to obovate-

oblong leaflets; dark green above, pale and pubescent
beneath; margins serrate; apex round; base acute;
rachis and petioles pubescent; paired stipules at the
base of the rachis sharply serrate.

Flowers: White, borne singly or clustered.

Fruit: Orange-red, round hip containing several hairy

achenes; calyx persistent.

Stems: Round and crooked, yellowish-green, turning

red on the surfaces exposed to the sun; armed with
coarse, oval-based, recurved prickles; arching.

Habitat & Range: Introduced from Japan and Korea.

Remarks: Extensively planted as an ornamental.

Planted on farms and range land to provide cover
and food for game birds.

Rosa rubiginosa L.
sweetbriar rose
Habit: Erect shrub up to 8’ tall; stems armed with
coarse, recurved prickles.

Leaves: 2-1/2’' to 4” long, with 5 to 7 oval or obovate-

oval leaflets; dark green and smooth above, pale and
pubescent below; emit a sweet ciderlike odor when
bruised; margins doubly serrate; both apex and base
round; rachis and petioles glandular-pubescent;
paired stipules sharply pointed, about 1/2"' long,
margins finely serrate, lower surfaces glandular
pubescent.
Flowers: Mostly pink, but occasionally white, borne
singly or in clusters of 2 to 4; stalks glandular-hairy.
188
Fruit: Hairy achenes borne
in a red or scarlet, smooth, ~— APPLE CIDER OD
ovoid to ellipsoidal hip
which is 1/2’’ to 3/4” long;
calyx persistent.

Stems: Round, light green or

reddish-green on the sur-
faces exposed to the sun;
straight or slightly crooked;
armed with large, oval-
based, recurved prickles;
buds divergent, about 1/8”’
long, ovoid, pointed; bud
scales light green but
turning red near the tips,
imbricated.
sweetbriar rose
Habitat & Range: Introduced
from Europe and widely planted in many places in
the United States and Canada. In this region it is
found on the west of the Cascade Mountains from
British Columbia to northern California. It has
escaped from cultivation and is quite common along
roadsides and in pastures.

Remarks: Considered a good plant for erosion control.

Provides cover and food for game birds. Generally
considered good browse.

Rubus L.

blackberry and close relatives

Habit: Shrubs or trailing vines, mostly with prickly

stems.

Leaves: Deciduous or persistent, alternate: simple, or

pinnately or palmately compound; stipulate.
: 189
Flowers: Perfect, complete; white to red, borne singly
or in clusters.

Fruit: An edible aggregate of drupelets which adheres

to or pulls free from the torus (the swollen
receptacle).

Remarks: This is another genus with a great abundance

of species, varieties, and hybrids. Many are useful
for erosion control, and to provide cover and food
for game. The fruits of many are used for making
jams, jellies, and wines.
 190

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 191
Rubus l/aciniatus Willd.

evergreen blackberry
Habit: Shrubs with heavy, angular, trailing or climbing
stems up to 10’ in length. The stems are armed with
large, flattened, recurved prickles.

Leaves: Persistent, palmately compound with 3 to 5

lacerated leaflets; green to reddish-green above and
paler beneath; rachis and petiole armed.

Flowers: White to pink in color.

Fruit: Black aggregate of small drupelets; adheres to

the torus.

Stems: Red to purple in color, stout, ridged, armed with

large, recurved oval-based prickles.

Habitat & Range: Commonly

found on barren and
infertile soils on burns,
old fields, logged-over
areas and along roadsides;
on the Westside from
Washington southward
into California. It was
introduced from Europe
and has escaped from
cultivation.
evergreen blackberry
Remarks: The fruit is made into jams and jellies. It
has little forage value. The dense thickets provide
food and excellent cover for birds and small
mammals.
Rubus leucodermis Dougl.
blackcap western raspberry
Habit: A semi-erect shrub with round, armed trailing
stems.
192
Leaves: Deciduous, palmately compound leaves, with
3 (sometimes 5) ovate leaflets that are doubly
serrate or lobed (1 to 3 lobes) and serrate; dark green
and occasionally somewhat pubescent above. and
with a heavy white tomentum below.

Flowers: White, borne in small clusters.

Fruit: Red, dark purple, or black aggregate of drupelets,

about 1/2” in diameter; pulls free from the torus.

Stems: The first year’s growth LEAVES

usually erect, thereafter trailing, WHITE

BENEATH
round; green to reddish bark
covered with a blue-white
bloom; armed with stout prickles
which occasionally may be
recurved.

Habitat & Range: Southern Alaska

southward through British Se ee ere ae OER
Columbia and western United blackcap
States.

Remarks: The fruit is eaten by humans, birds, and

mammals. It is a fair browse plant.

Rubus parviflorus Nutt.

thimbleberry
Habit: An erect shrub 3’ to 6’ high, with weak, canelike,
unarmed stems, and simple palmately lobed leaves.

Leaves: Deciduous, simple, broad, 3’ to 8” in diameter;

palmately 3- to 5-lobed and serrate; dark green,
minutely hairy on both surfaces, petiole with bristly
hairs and more or less glandular.
 193
Flowers: White or occasionally whitish-pink, borne
singly or in terminal clusters.

Fruit: Red, flattened hemispherical, aggregate of

drupelets which pull free from the torus.

Stems: Light brown or grayish-

brown, canelike, weak, and
unarmed; bark thin and
papery; new stems green
and glandular.

Habitat & Range: Widely

distributed on moist sites
from the Great Lakes
westward to the Pacific
Coast, from Alaska south- thimbleberry
ward into Mexico. Elevations
ranging from sea level to 9,000 feet.

Remarks: A fair to outstanding browse plant. The

fruit is eaten by birds, mammals, and humans.

Rubus spectabilis Pursh

salmonberry
Habit: An erect, tolerant, moist-site shrub 3’ to 10’
high, with light-brown, exfoliating bark.

Leaves: Deciduous, pinnately compound with 3 ovate

leaflets, 1’ to 3’ long; shiny dark green and smooth
to wrinkled above, paler and pubescent along the
veins beneath; margins double serrate, or 1- or 2-
lobed and doubly serrate. The rachises, petioles,
and midveins often armed.

Flowers: Pink to dark red, borne singly.

194
Fruit: An aggregate of drupelets; salmon colored to red
or reddish-purple.

Stems: New stems green

with a reddish tinge, and
armed; on older stems
the bark is orange-brown
and armed; bark (with
prickles) exfoliates.

Habitat & Range: Occurs

on moist sites; from
Alaska southward to the
Santa Cruz Mountains
in California, eastward
to Idaho and Montana. salmonberry
Very abundant near coast
of Oregon.

Remarks: Provides food and cover for birds and small

mammals. The watery, poorly flavored fruit is eaten,
but seldom gathered, by humans.

Rubus thyrsanthus Focke

Himalaya berry
Habit: An erect, spreading or trailing shrub; with stout,
heavily ridged and armed stems.

Leaves: Persistent to semi-persistent, palmately com-

pound with 3 to 5 oval leaflets about 1-1/2” to 2-1/2”
long, dark green to reddish-green and smooth (or
occasionally coarsely hairy) above, and with a heavy
white bloom and tomentum below; margins serrate.
Rachis and petioles armed.

Flowers: Large, white, borne in clusters.

Fruit: A black aggregate of drupelets, about 1” long;

adheres to the torus.
 195
Stems: Heavily or coarsely ridged, purplish-red; armed
with heavy, red, broad-based, recurved prickles.

Habit & Range: A native of

the Old World and of
uncertain origin. It had
been widely planted in the
U.S. and has escaped
from cultivation.

Remarks: The fruit is

widely utilized for making
jams and jellies. Birds and
mammals feed on the
fruit, and seek protection WHITE (ON SUNDER! ‘SIDE
in the tangled thickets. See EC OSE ARCWN
Himalaya berry

Rubus vitifolius C.&S.

wild blackberry
Habit: Evergreen, climbing or trailing shrub, with long
slender branches often 10’ to 20’ long.

Leaves: Persistent, pinnately compound with 3 to 5

leaflets, doubly serrate or lobed and serrate; dark
green and smooth or sparsely hairy above, paler on
the under side.

Flowers: White, borne in clusters.

Fruit: Large, black, tasty aggregate of drupelets which

adheres to the torus.

Stems: Round, slender, green to reddish; armed with

slender, small based, straight or recurved prickles;
glaucous—the bloom is easily rubbed off.
196
Habitat & Range: Occurs in open woods, on old burns
and cut-over areas; from Idaho westward to the Coast,
and from British Columbia to southern California.

Remarks: The fruit is highly prized for jams and jellies.

A large number of birds and mammals feed upon the
fruit, and many seek cover in the dense thickets. It
grows well on poor, eroded soils, the stems taking
root at intervals, making it a worthwhile shrub for
erosion control.

Sorbus L.
mountain-ash
Habit: Trees or shrubs.

Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, pinnately compound;

margins serrate; stipulate.

Flowers: Perfect; mostly white; borne in terminal flat-

topped clusters.

Fruit: Small pome (apple).

KEY TO THE MOUNTAIN-ASHES

Leaflet margins entire, except near the tip.

S. occidentalis

Leaflet margin serrated, except near the base.

S. sitchensis

Sorbus occidentalis (Wats.) Greene

dwarf mountain-ash
Habit: Shrub up to 12’ tall. Resembles S. sitchensis.

Leaves: Pinnately compound with 7 to 11, mostly 9,

leaflets which are oblong-elliptical, serrate only
near the tips.
 197
Flowers: Small, white; in small, flat-topped clusters.

Fruit: Purplish to purplish-red pome, 1/2’ to 1/3” in

diameter.

Buds: Ovate, 1/4’ to 1/2” long; scales light brown,

imbricated.

Habitat & Range: Found in the mountains on well-

drained sites in the sun; from British Columbia to
southern Oregon on the west of the Cascade Moun-
tains. Elevation: 2,500’ to 6,000’.

Sorbus sitchensis Roem.

Sitka mountain-ash
Habit: An erect, much branched shrub up to 10’ tall, or
occasionally a small tree up to 25’ tall.

Leaves: 5’’ to 10” long, with 7 to 15 oblong to oblong-

elliptical leaflets, leaflets 1°’ to 3’’ long; green and
smooth above, paler below; margins serrate, except
for near the base where they are entire; terminal
leaflet petiolate, lateral leaflets mostly sessile; both
the apex and the base are acute to round.

Flowers: White, borne in large, dense, flat-topped

clusters.

Fruit: Round, orange-red to red pome, 1/2” to 1/3”

in diameter.

Stems: Stout, olive drab, glaucous and with light-

colored vertical lenticels, becoming gray-greenish-
brown; terminal bud 1/2’ to 3/4” long, oblong-ovate,
with lustrous, reddish-brown imbricated scales which
are pubescent along the margin, lateral buds smaller.

Bark: Thin, smooth, grayish-green to brownish-green.

198
Habitat & Range: Found on dry to moist, well-drained
sites in the sun; from the Yukon and southern Alaska,
south to central California (in the Sierra-Nevada
Mountains) and western Nevada, east to northern
Idaho and northwestern Montana. Elevational range:
in the United States, 2,500 to 10,000 feet.
Remarks: Planted as an ornamental. Forage value fair.
The fruit provides food for many birds.

Spiraea L.
spiraea
Habit: Erect or prostrate shrubs.

Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, simple; petiole short.

Flowers: Mostly perfect; small but commonly borne in

loose or dense clusters.

Fruit: Follicle.

KEY TO THE SPECIES

Leaves serrate along the upper 1/4 to 1/2 of the

margin only; flowers pink or reddish, borne in dense
elongated clusters. S. douglasii

Leaf margins serrate to doubly serrate; flowers white,

borne in flat-topped cluster. S. lucida

Spiraea douglasii Hook.

Douglas spiraea
Habit: An erect shrub 2’ to 4’ tall.

Leaves: 1-1/4’ to 3” long, 1/2” to 1’ wide, oblong-

elliptical, oblong-ovate or elliptical; green above,
paler and with a silvery pubescence below; margins
serrated along the upper 1/4 to 1/2, entire below; ape:
round; base broadly acute to narrlowly rounded;
petiole not over 1/4’ long, often shorter.
 199
Flowers: Very small, pink or reddish, borne in dense
elongated terminal clusters (panicles).

Fruit: Smooth follicle, about 1/8” long. Persists

through most of the winter.

Twigs: Slender, light yellow-brown, becoming reddish-

brown, lightly ribbed.

Habitat & Range: Occurs on moist sites in ditches, along

streams, in swales and around seeps on mountain
slopes; from British Columbia southward into
northern California, eastward into Idaho.

Spiraea lucida Dougl.

white spiraea
Habit: Erect, sparsely branched shrub up to 3’ high.

Leaves: 1’ to 3-1/2” long, broadly ovate, ovate-

elliptical or oblong; light green and smooth above,
paler below; margins serrate to double serrate; apex
round to acute; base round to broadly wedge-shaped;
petiole about 1/4” long.

Flowers: Very small, white, borne in a dense flat-topped

cluster.

Fruit: Small follicle, about 1/8” long, usually 5 in a

cluster.

Stems: Slender, light yellow-brown and smooth when

young, becoming reddish-brown, and eventually
gray-reddish brown.

Habitat & Range: Found on dry to moist, well-drained

sites in the sun; from British Columbia to southern
Oregon, eastward to the Rocky Mountains.
200
LEGUMINOSAE Legume Family

NOTE: The three species of legumes described here

were introduced from Europe or eastern United
States. Each of these species is the only one of its
genus introduced into the Pacific Northwest; so the
generic descriptions are omitted.

Cytisus scoparius L.
Scotch broom
Habit: Erect, loosely branched shrub with slender green
branches, 3’ to 10’ tall.

Leaves: Very small, simple leaves 1/4’ to 1/2” long,

trifoliate leaves up to 1° long; smooth and light green
above, paler and minutely pubescent or smooth
below; elliptical to oblong-lanceolate; margins
entire.

Flowers: Perfect. About 3/4” long, bright yellow,

pealike.

Fruit: Dark brown to black, hairy legume or pod, about

1” long.

Twigs: Very slender, green to dark green, distinctly

ribbed.

Habitat & Range: The species was introduced as an

ornamental from Scotland and has now become well
established in the moister parts of the Northwest and
California, also the eastern coastal plain as far south
as Virginia; and Nova Scotia.

Remarks: Regarded as toxic to livestock—affects the

nervous system. It is regarded as a good renovator
of denuded and barren lands. Planted as an orna-
mental and to stabilize road banks. The leaves are
rich in potash. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria on
the roots.
 201
Robinia pseudoacacia L.

black locust
Habit: Eastern tree 40’ to 80’ tall and 2’ to 3’ in diam-
eter, with dark brownish-black, coarsely ridged and
furrowed bark.

Leaves: 8” to 14” long,

pinnately compound with
9 to 11 elliptical to ovate-
oblong leaflets; green to
yellow-green and smooth
above, paler beneath;
margins entire; leaflet apex
and base rounded; leaflets
petiolate; rachis swollen
at the base.
WELL- KNOWN

Flowers: White, pealike, oS aR

borne in racemes. Look black locust
and smell like white sweet peas.

Fruit: Brown legume, 2” to 4” long, about 1/2” wide.

Twigs: Angled or ridged when new, eventually becom-

ing round; initially green, becoming brown, paired
stipular spines present on young twigs, but may be
absent on large trees. Buds naked and submerged in
the leaf scars.

Bark: On mature trees brown, deeply furrowed, with

round, coarse, interlacing, stringy ridges, 1” to 2”
thick. Orange or yellow color in fissures.

Habitat & Range: Grows on dry to moist, well-drained

sites in the sun. Ranges in the Appalachian Mountains
from Pennsylvania to northern Georgia and Alabama,
west to Missouri, Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma.
Extensively planted in the West, where it has
escaped from cultivation in many localities.
202
Uses: Fence posts, insulator pins, tree nails (for wooden
ship and barge construction), tool handles, posts,
mine timbers and fuel.

Remarks: Very intolerant. Prolific sprouter. Makes

good growth on a number of different types of soils,
and is somewhat tolerant of alkali soils. There are
nitrogen fixing nodules of bacteria on the roots. The
twigs and inner bark are toxic. The wood is very
durable, heavy and hard.

The trees have a deep, wide spreading root system

that make them used for erosion control. Esten-
sively planted in shelterbelts.

Ulex europaeus L.
gorse furze
Habit: A much-branched, spiny shrub up to 10’ tall.

Leaves: Most of the leaves have been reduced to spines,

1/2” to 2” long, dark green, ribbed.

Flowers: Yellow and pealike. In the spring the shrub

may be one large mass of blooms.

Fruit: Legume or pod; seeds very hardy.

Twigs: Green to gray-green, ribbed.

Habitat & Range: The shrub was introduced from

Europe and planted along the coast in Oregon. It is
now reported from Astoria, Oregon, south to
Mendocino County in California.

Remarks: This shrub forms impenetrable thickets and

constitutes a serious pest wherever it is found. It
contributed to the burning of Bandon, Oregon in
1936. Volatile oils in the stems and spines account
for its high inflammability. Strict control measures
are necessary to prevent the shrub from extending
its range. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria nodules are
present on the roots.
 203
ANACARDIACEAE Cashew Family

Rhus L.
sumac

Habit: Shrubs or small trees having a milky, acrid or

resinous sap.

Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, simple or pinnately com-

pound with 3 to 23 leaflets.

Flowers: Dioecious or polygamous; small but usually

borne in dense terminal clusters.

Fruit: Small, dry to fleshy, smooth or tomentose drupe.

Buds: Naked.

Remarks: The genus is native to both hemispheres. The

sumacs are a source of tannin, waxes, dyes, varnishes,
and medicinal compounds. Some species cause a
serious skin inflammation.

KEY TO THE SUMACS

1, Leaflets commonly 3 in number. 2)

1. Leaflets 9 to 21. R. glabra

2. Lateral leaflets only 1/4 to 1/3 the size of the

terminal leaflet; terminal leaflet broadly obovate
to round-rhombic, with wedge-shaped base, but
no (sub-)petiole. Flower buds in spikes; foliage
buds submerged. Fruit red. R. trilobata

2. Lateral leaflets at least 1/2 the size of the

terminal leaflet; leaflets ovate to obovate;
terminal leaflet irregularly toothed to lobed,
with distinct (sub-)petiole. Buds naked. Fruit
whitish, with meridian lines. R. diversiloba
204
Rhus glabra L.
smooth sumac
Habit: Shrubs up to 15’ tall.

Leaves: Deciduous, 8” to 14” long, pinnately compound

with 9 to 21 lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate leaflets;
leaflets 1-1/2’ to 3” long, dark green above, pale
green or whitish-green below; margins serrate; apex
acute; base round; terminal leaflet petiolate, lateral
leaflets sessile; rachis pubescent, later becoming
smooth.

Flowers: Small, white, borne in dense, elongated,

terminal clusters.

Fruit: Bright red, glandular drupe

about 3/16” in diameter.
Persist the year round.

Twigs: Stout, pubescent and light

reddish-brown, later becoming
smooth and grayish-brown.
Habitat & Range: Found on dry
to moist, well-drained sites in
the sun. Ranges from British Gren Cee
Columbia south on the east of
the Cascade Mountains to cen- smooth sumac
tral Oregon, east to Illinois.
Remarks: Browsed by deer. Many game birds eat the
fruits. The foliage turns a bright red in the fall.

Rhus trilobata Nutt.

skunkbush
Habit: A loosely branched shrub up to 7’ tall.

Leaves: Deciduous, 1-1/2’’ to 3” long, trifoliate: termi-

nal leaflet broadly obovate to round-rhombic, upper
margin irregular serrated or 3-lobed, lower margin
 205
entire; apex round, base wedge-shaped, petiole
indistinct or lacking; lateral leaflets oval, about 1/4
the size of the terminal leaflet, margins wavy to
lobed, sessile; leaflets green above, pale beneath,
initially pubescent, later becoming smooth; emit an
obnoxious odor when crushed.

Flowers: Small, pale yellow, borne in terminal clusters

up to 1/2” long, appear before the leaves.

Fruit: Orange to red, glandular-hairy drupe, about 1/4”

in diameter. Persist.

Stems: Slender, light yellow-brown, becoming light

grayish-brown.

Habit & Range: Found on dry, well-drained sites in the

sun or shade. Ranges from southern Oregon (on the
east of the Cascade Mountains) south to lower
California, east to the Rocky Mountains.

Remarks: Birds eat the fruit. Poor browse.

Rhus diversiloba T. & G.

poisonoak
Habit: Erect shrubs 3’ to
10’ in height, or tree-
climbing vines, with
shiny, dark green leaves
which turn varying
shade of red and yellow
in the fall. SHINY LEAVES

Leaves: Deciduous, alter-

nate, pinnately com-
pound, with 3 (rarely 5)
ovate to ovate-rhombic REDDISH IN SPRING @ FALL
or obovate leaflets, the
terminal leaflet is larger poisonoak
206
than the lateral leaflets and has a distinct petiole, the
lateral leaflets are subsessile; margins wavy to shallowly
lobed or rarely smooth; surfaces smooth and shiny,
initially reddish-green in the early spring, but soon
turning green; red or yellow in the fall.

Flowers: Small, long-stemmed, inconspicuous, yellowish-

green; borne in loose, pendulous clusters (panicles).

Fruit: Round to subglobose, grayish white, striated

drupes which persist after the leaves have fallen; by
late fall only the stems or penducles remain.

Stems: New twigs light brown to tan colored, pubescent;

when a climbing vine the stems are equipped with
brown tendrils; short stiff lateral branchlets numer-
ous; buds naked.

Habitat & Range: Occurs on moist to dry, well-drained

sites in the sun or shade; from southern British
Columbia south to southern California on the west of
the Cascades and Sierra Nevada Mountains. Most
common in the valleys along fence rows and in
pastures, also in the woods in the surrounding foot-
hills. In the mountains it is found on the drier
ridges and south and west slopes. Where summer pre-
cipitation is sufficient to encourage the growth of
competing vegetation, poisonoak disappears.

Remarks: Poisonoak is toxic to most individuals.

Immunity is a relative thing, for individuals who have
not been bothered by poisonoak for some years may
find themselves eventually affected. Fumes from the
burning plants are especially toxic.

Bees are attracted to the flowers in the spring, but

none of the toxicity of the plant is transmitted
through the nectar. Horses and cattle can browse the
species with immunity. Household pets that have
wandered through the plant are carriers of the plant
irritation.
 207
ACERACEAE Maple Family
Acer L.

maple
Habit: Trees or shrubs with opposite, palmately lobed
and veined leaves.

Leaves: Deciduous, opposite, and simple; circular in

general outline; palmately lobed and veined; petiole
long. (Note: One American species, Acer negundo L. ’
boxelder, has pinnately compound leaves.)

Flowers: Mostly polygamous, small and borne in short

or elongated clusters.

Fruit: Double samara, united at the base; wings slightly

to widely divergent.

Twigs: Opposite branching; slender to stout twigs; pith

round and homogeneous; leaf scar has 3 to 7 distinct
bundle scars.

Remarks: There are sixteen species and varieties of

maples native to the United States; four of which are
indigenous to the Pacific Northwest. Of the indige-
nous species three are essentially shrubby in habit,
though occasionally attaining small tree size.
The forage value of maple is fair. Bigleaf maple is the
only western species important to the timber trade.

KEY TO THE MAPLES

1. Leaves 5” in diameter or larger; petiole long,

secretes a milky juice when squeezed.
A. macrophyllum
1. Leaves less than 5” in diameter. %
2. Lobes 5 to 9, mostly 7, fanlike. A. circinatum
2. Lobes 3; occasionally with 2 smaller basal
lobes. A. glabrum
208
Acer circinatum Pursh

vine maple
Habit: An erect shrub, or
more commonly a
helter-skelter arrange-
ment of crooked
branches that are a
curse to anyone who
has need of passing
through them; up to 20’
tall, or less commonly a
small tree 30’ to 40°
in height.

Leaves: Circular in out-

line, averaging 2 to 4
inches in diameter, or
sometimes slightly larger; vine maple
with 5 to 9, mostly 7, shallow, fanlike lobes which are
serrated along the margins; green and glabrous on the
upper surface, paler beneath; base cordate; petioles
1” to 3” long, often red. If growing in the sun the
leaves may take on a red color early in the summer.

Flowers: Red, borne in short terminal clusters.

Fruit: A propeller-like, double samara with the wing

almost at a 180°, 1-1/4’ to 2”’ long, brownish-red to
reddish when mature.

Twigs: Slender, smooth and round, green to reddish-

brown, or red if in the sun; buds 1/8” long, pointed;
buds have 3 or more imbricate scales, red to reddish-
brown. Buds at end of twig often paired, due to
failure of terminal bud to develop.

Habitat & Range: Common understory species in the

Westside forests of the Pacific Northwest, also a
pioneer species on cutover and burned-over lands.
Found on moist sites in the sun or shade from
 209
southwestern British Columbia, southward through
western Washington and Oregon, to northern Califor-
nia, also the Wallowa Mountains of northeastern
Oregon. In Oregon, vine maple will occasionally be
found on the moister slopes and along streams on the
eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains (Suttle Lake
area).
Remarks: Valuable forage for deer and elk. To the
woodsman vine maple is an obnoxious nuisance that
frequently provokes him to strong epithets. While it
satisfies no important commercial need, the wood
may be used locally for fuel, and is very satisfactory
for smoking fish and fowl. Larger stems have been
reported to have been used to fasten wanigan logs
together. Indians of the Northwest used the branches
for net bows. In the fall vine maple turns various
shades of red and yellow and can rival the most
colorful species of the Eastern forests.

Acer glabrum Torr.

Rocky Mountain maple
Habit: Commonly a shrub 6’ to 12’ in height, or a small
tree 20’ to 30’ tall and 6” to 12” in diameter.
Leaves: 2’ to 5’ in diameter, palmately 3- (sometimes
5-) lobed and veined; lobe margins serrate to doubly
serrate except near the base which is smooth, the
base of the central lobe tends to taper inward; sinuses
(indentations between lobes) usually deep and nar-
rowly acute; lobe apex pointed or blunt; base broadly
obtuse, truncated or indented; surfaces dark green
and smooth above, and paler below; petiole slender
and about the same length as the leaf blade, green to
red. Trifoliate leaves may be frequently found.
Flowers: Small, greenish-yellow, borne in short terminal
or axillary clusters.
Fruit: Double samara, wings about an inch long, nearly
straight on the back, joined at an acute to right angle,
often reddish tinted at maturity.
210
Twigs: Slender and smooth, at first green but becoming
reddish-green to dark red, eventually becoming green
to gray or reddish-brown; buds small, 1/8’ to 1/4”
long, ovoid, appressed, with 2 dark red valvate scales.

Habitat & Range: Found on moist and sandy and

gravelly soils in open coniferous stands or brushy
areas. Black Hills of South Dakota and northwestern
Nebraska, west of the east slopes of the Cascade
Mountains in Oregon, south to southern California,
Arizona, and New Mexico. The variety A. g. doug/asii
extends north and west from eastern Oregon and
eastern Washington, through parts of Alberta and
British Columbia, to southwestern Alaska.

Remarks: Big game animals are reported to browse this

species extensively.

Acer glabrum douglasii (Hook.) Dipp.

Douglas maple

This variety is a shrub or small tree; leaf typically with

shallow, broad sinuses. Occasionally found west of the
Cascades in Oregon, but usually found from southwesterr
Alaska, south through western British Columbia and
southern Alberta, eastern Washington and Oregon, east-
ward to Idaho and western Montanal.

Acer macrophyllum Pursh

bigleaf maple
Habit: A tree 40’ to 100’ tall and 2’ to 4’ in diameter;
when growing in the open usually branches within the
first 15 feet into several large branches, forming a
dense, round, spreading crown; but in a dense stand,
may be a tall, straight tree.

Leaves: 6” to 12" in diameter palmately 5-lobed,

central lobe usually wedge-shaped and narrow-waisted
 211
margins of lobes smooth or with smaller lobes; base
heartshaped; surfaces dark green above, paler below
and pubescent in the axils of the larger veins; petiole
long, exudes a milky sap when squeezed.

Flowers: Small, yellow,

borne in long racemes
just ahead of the leaves;
both perfect and uni-
sexual flowers on the
same tree.

Fruit: Double (rarely triple)

samara, wings 1-1/2’ to
2" long, seed hairy; tan
or yellowish-tan when
mature; wings appressed
or slightly divergent.

Twigs: Stout, smooth bigleaf maple

and pale green the
first season, becoming bright green or dark red,
eventually grayish-brown.

Bark: Smooth, grayish-brown on young trees; on old

trunks grayish-brown to reddish-brown, with inter-
lacing ridges and furrows.

Habitat & Range: Moist well-drained soils; from western

British Columbia south through western Washington
and Oregon to southern California. Elevational
range: sea level to 5,500 feet.

Uses: Furniture and paneling; suitable for flooring.

Burls weighing from a few hundred pounds to sev-
eral tons are cut and shipped to France and Italy
where they are sliced into veneer to be used in
furniture manufacture.

Remarks: Good browse. Bigleaf maple has the largest

leaves of any of the maples. It is the largest maple
22
native to western United States, and is one of the
largest species in the genus. The sap has a high sugar
content, but weather conditions within the range of
the species are not conducive to a high flow of sap.

RHAMNACEAE Buckthorn Family

Ceanothus L.

ceanothus
Habit: Mostly shrubs, occasionally small trees.

Leaves: Simple; deciduous or persistent; alternate (and

with 3 prominent veins from the base of the leaf), or
opposite; margins entire, serrate, or almost spinose.

Flowers: Complete; individual flowers small but borne

in dense clusters; white to blue. The clusters are
mostly long panicles or racemes.

Fruits: Small, subglobose, 3-lobed capsule and 3-celled,

smooth or sticky on the surface.

Remarks: This genus is confined to North America.

There are between 50 and 60 species and most of
them are limited to the Pacific Coast region. Nitrogen-
fixing nodules of bacteria are found on the roots.

KEY TO THE CEANOTHUSES

1. Leaves opposite. 2

1. Leaves alternate. 3

2. Leaves clustered at the nodes; margins mostly

entire. C. cuneatus

2. Leaves not clustered at the nodes; margins with

a few, almost spinose, teeth. C. prostratus
 213
3. Younger branches round. 4

3. Younger branches ribbed. C. thyrsiflorus

4. Leaves thick and leathery. C. velutinus

4. Leaves not thick and leathery. 5

5. Leaf margins smooth. C. integerrimus

5. Leaf margins serrate. C. sanguineus

Ceanothus cuneatus (Hook.) Nutt.

narrowleaf buckbrush wedgeleaf ceanothus
Habit: An erect shrub 3’ to 8’ tall, or small and sprawling
and growing in matlike clumps (upper elevational
limits).

Leaves: Persistent, most commonly

in opposite clusters; 1/4’ to
3/4” long, obovate, cuneate,
spatulate or oblong-elliptical;
grayish-green, initially minutely
hairy but soon becoming
glabrous; margins entire or
occasionally with 1 or 2 teeth
near the apex; apex rounded; parrowleaf buckbrush
base wedge-shaped; petiole
very short.

Flowers: Small, white or yellow borne in loose clusters.

Fruit: Subglobose capsule, less than 1/4’ in diameter,

each lobe has a small horn near the apex.

Twigs: Lateral branchlets short, rigid and thorn-like;

reddish-brown, but superficially light gray. Opposite
branching.
214
Bark: Gray and smooth on younger stems, becoming
grayish-brown.

Habitat & Range: Found on dry, gravelly or rocky soils;

from the central Willamette Valley southward to
southern California, locally in extreme western
Nevada.

Remarks: A major component of chaparral and brush-

fields. Narrowleaf buckbrush will not sprout from
the roots or root crown following a fire. Heat, how-
ever, appears to stimulate the germination of dormant
seeds in the soil. It is an important winter browse
plant for deer in many localities.

Ceanothus integerrimus Hook. & Arn.

deerbrush
Habit: An erect, loosely branched shrub 4’ to 12’ tall.

Leaves: Deciduous (occasionally semi-persistent),

alternate, 1°’ to 3”’ long and about half as broad,
ovate elliptical to ovate-elliptical; margins smooth;
green to dark green and smooth above, paler and
glabrous or sparsely pubescent on the underside; 3
prominent veins from the base of the leaf; petiole
about 1/2” long.

Flowers: Small, white (sometimes blue or pinkish);

borne in long terminal or axillary clusters.

Fruit: Round to round-triangular, sticky capsule; each

lobe has a slight crest or ridge down the side.

Twigs: Round, slender, frequently arching, green to

tannish-green, often with warty areas on the older
branches.

Habitat & Range: Grows on many types of soil, but does

best where the soil is moderately fertile and
 215
well drained; from western Washington southward
through California, and eastward into western
Nevada and Arizona.

Remarks: The Range Plant Handbook reports,

Deerbrush is one of the most valuable browse plants
of the West and in California it provides more forage
than any other browse species. Deerbrush is so
important in the Sierras and southern Cascades that
management of many ranges is based on its growth
requirements. It is considered a good to excellent
browse for...deer.

Ceanothus prostratus Benth.

squawcarpet mahala mat
Habit: A low, prostrate, evergreen shrub with leathery,
hollylike leaves and creeping branches which fre-
quently take root at the nodes. Older plants may
form a dense carpet-like mat up to 10’ across.

Leaves: Persistent, opposite, thick and leathery; 1/4”

to 1"’ long, spatulate, cuneate, obovate or obovate-
elliptical; dark green glabrous and lustrous above,
paler or grayish-green beneath; sparse, almost-
spinose teeth along the upper margin, entire below;
base wedge-shaped; petiole very short.

Flowers: Small, blue, borne in loose terminal clusters.

Fruit: Subglobose capsule about 1/4” broad, each lobe

with a wrinkled, dorsal horn or boss.

Twigs: Lateral twigs usually not over 6” long, or com-

monly spurlike; new twigs reddish to reddish brown,
initially hairy but becoming smooth.

Habitat & Range: On dry sites in the sun; in the

Cascade Mountains from Washington southward into
northern California, eastward into Idaho and Nevada.
216
Remarks: Found in mixed-conifer or ponderosa pine
stands. Squaw carpet provides some protection
against soil erosion and may act as a nursecrop for
coniferous reproduction. Forage value low.

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus Esch.

blueblossom
Habit: Erect shrubs up to 12’ in height, or small trees
up to 20’ tall, on exposed situations it may be low-
growing to prostrate.

Leaves: Persistent; alternate; simple; but smaller leaves

are often clustered about the base of the principal
leaf; 3/4” to 2” long, oblong-ovate to elliptical; dark
glossy green above, paler and commonly smooth
below; margins finely serrate and at times revolute
(occasionally entire); prominently 3-veined from the
base; petiole less than 1/2” long.

Flowers: Small, blue (rarely white), borne in dense

clusters up to 3” long.

Fruit: Subglobose capsule about 1/6” in diameter,

black and somewhat sticky.

Twigs: Slender green, distinctly ribbed for the first 2

or 3 years.
Habitat & Range: Found on dry, well-drained sites in
the sun or shade; from Douglas County in western
Oregon southward to southern California.
Remarks: Blueblossom is one of the largest and hardi-
est of the ceanothuses. It forms dense thickets fol-
lowing a fire; a pioneer species on cut-over lands and
along new road cuts. Planted as an ornamental.

Ceanothus sanguineus Pursh

buckbrush redstem ceanothus

Habit: An erect, loosely branched shrub 5‘ to 10’ tall,

with moderately slender, purplish-red stems.
 217
Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, 1‘’ to 3-1/2” long ovate
to ovate-elliptical; thin, dark green and glabrous
above, paler beneath; promi-
nently 3-veined from the base;
margins serrate; petiole up to
1“ long.

Flowers: Small, white and borne

in dense cluster up to 4”’ long.

Fruit: Subglobose capsule up to

3/16" in diameter, lobes
smooth except for an incon-
spicuous ridge. DECIDUOUS
THIN

Twigs: Slender, purplish-red; buckbrush

smooth. Buds often stalked.

Habitat & Range: Found on dry to moist, well-drained

sites in the sun or partial shade; from southern British
Columbia southward to northern California, east-
ward to Idaho and Montana.

Remarks: Fairly palatable to big game animals.

Ceanothus velutinus Dougl.

snowbrush
Habit: Evergreen shrub 2’ to 10’ tall with light green
stems; often thicket forming.

Leaves: Persistent, alternate, thick and leathery, 1-1/2”

to 2-1/2” long, broadly ovate to ovate-elliptical;
dark glossy green (sticky during warm weather)
above; underside pale green and at first slightly
tomentose, but soon becoming smooth; margins
finely serrate; 3 prominent veins from the base of
the leaf; petiole 1/2” to 3/4” long. The foliage
has a sickeningly sweet odor when rubbed or during
very warm weather.
218

Flowers: Small, white, borne in

dense clusters 2’’ to 5” long.
SPICY SMELL
Twigs: Stout, smooth, light
green; larger stems green.

Habitat & Range: Found ona

wide variety of sites and
exposures; from British
Columbia and Saskatchewan
southward through western
United States. It is quite EVERGREEN,
likely that snowbrush has the LEATHERY, GREEN STEMMED
most extensive range of the
ceanothuses. snowbrush

Remarks: Snowbrush frequently invades cutover and

burned-over lands. Seeds retain their viability for
several years. If root crown is not killed by fire, its
crown sprouts abundantly. Fire also appears to
stimulate germination of the undamaged seeds.

Snowbrush often forms extensive thickets or fields.

lf the plants are not too dense they may serve as an
excellent nurse crop for Douglas-fir. In many cases,
especially in portions of the ponderosa pine region,
the brush is so dense as to preclude regeneration.

It is a poor forage for wildlife. Deer frequently bed

in the thickets and may crop the foliage during all
seasons. In eastern Oregon, abundant snowbrush indi-
cates enough soil moisture to support Douglas-fir.

Rhamnus L.

buckthorn
Habit: Trees or shrubs with bitter bark.

Leaves: Deciduous or persistent; alternate, simple,

prominently penniveined; petiolate.
 219
Flowers: Monoecious or polygamo-dioecious (perfect
and unisexual flowers on the same plant), clustered.

Fruits: Round or oblong, fleshy drupes.

Buds: Naked or with imbricated scales.

KEY TO THE BUCKTHORNS

Leaves 3”’ to 6” long, deciduous. R. purshiana

Leaves usually less than 3’’ long, persistent.

R. californica

Rhamnus californica Esch.

California coffeeberry
Habit: Evergreen shrubs growing in rounded clumps, 4°
to 8’ tall.

Leaves: Alternate, persistent, 1-1/2’ to 2-1/2” long,

oblong-elliptical to oblong-obovate; dark green and
smooth above; paler and smooth or pubescent below,
pubescence on lower veins rusty in color; margins
finely serrate to entire, often slightly revolute;
venation arcuate-pinnate; petiole 1/8” to 1/2” long,
round, and rusty-pubescent.

Flowers: Small, greenish, few in a cluster.

Fruit: Round drupe, about 1/4” in diameter, reddish-

black to black; usually contains two seeds.

Twigs: Slender and round, initially with a brownish

pubescence, later becoming dark reddish-brown and
smooth, eventually grayish-brown.
Buds: Naked, about 1/8’ long, brown in color.
Habitat & Range: Usually found on dry, shallow, stony
soils in the sun; from southwestern Oregon south to
southern California.
220
Remarks: A common component of the chaparral in
California. Twigs and bark have a bitter taste. Pro-
vides some cover for deer, and birds eat the fruit. It
is a secondary host for the rust of velvet grass.

Rhamnus purshiana DC.

cascara buckthorn
Habit: A tree up to 50’ tall and 10” to 20” in diameter,
or sometimes an erect shrub up to 15 feet high.

Leaves: Alternate, deciduous, 2’’ to 6” long, oblong to

oblong-elliptical; dark glossy green above, paler and
glabrous below, often with a brownish pubescence
along the veins; margins entire, wavy or serrate;
prominently penniveined; petioie 1/2’ to 1“’ long,
often pubescent; thin to somewhat leathery in texture.

Flowers: Small, green-white, borne in loose clusters,

axillary.

Fruit: Round drupe, 1/4” to 1/2” in diameter, black on

the outside with a yellowish, sweetish pulp.

Twigs: New twigs slender to moderately stout, reddish-

brown and pubescent, later becoming dark reddish-
brown and smooth. Larger branches gray to grayish-
brown.

Buds: Naked, about 1/2’ long, rusty tomentose;

usually 2 or 3 distinct segments exposed.

Bark: Thin, grayish-brown to gray-reddish brown,

smooth or somewhat scaly (on large trees), often
mottled with chalky-white patches. Inner bark
yellow. Tastes bitter.

Habitat & Range: Grows on moist, well-drained soils.

Ranges from western and southern British Columbia
south on the west of the Cascade Mountains to
northern California, east through northern Idaho
to western Montana.
 221
Uses: The cured bark, one of the most important
natural drugs produced in North America, is used
as a laxative.

Remarks: Tolerant. Vigorous stump sprouter. Asso-

ciated with Douglas-fir, grand fir, western hemlock,
western redcedar, red and white alders, bigleaf maple,
vine maple, and several other species.

The species seldom reaches a very large size because

of the stripping of the bark. Barked trees should be
felled so that the stumps will sprout.

Birds and some of the smaller mammals will eat the

fruit. Deer may crop the foliage and twigs.

CELASTRACEAE Staff-Tree Family

Pachystima Raf.

Habit: Low, evergreen shrubs, with 4-angled twigs.

Leaves: Persistent, opposite, simple; margins serrate;

petiole short.

Flowers: Perfect; very small; borne in the leaf axils.

Fruit: Capsule.

Pachystima myrsinites (Pursh) Raf.

Oregon-boxwood mountain lover

Habit: Low, evergreen shrub.

Leaves: 1/2’ to 1-1/2’ long, ovate to ovate-elliptical or

obovate; thick and leathery; dark green, glabrous and
glossy above, pale below; margins finely serrate;
petiole up to 1/16” long.

Fruit: 2-valved, white, ovate capsule, about 1/4” long.

222
Twigs: Slender, reddish-
brown, ridged.

Habitat & Range: Found on SMALL;

dry to moist, sandy or LEAVES
gravelly loams, under EVERGREEN
open timber; ranges
from the Cascade and
Sierra-Nevada Mountains,
east to the Rocky
Mountains.

Remarks: Cropped by deer Oregon-boxwood

and elk. Planted as an
ornamental. Resembles huckleberry except for the
opposite leaves.

ELEAGNACEAE Oleaster Family

Shepherdia Nutt.
buffaloberry
Habit: Shrubs or occasionally small trees.

Leaves: Deciduous, opposite, simple (smaller leaves may

be found at the base of the main leaf); margins entire;
petiole short.

Flowers: Dioecious, borne in axillary spikes.

Fruit: Berry.

Remarks: This genus contains but 3 species; all are

found in western North America.

KEY TO THE BUFFALOBERRIES

Branches with thorns; leaves finely pubescent.
S. argentea
Branches lack thorns; rust dots on underside of
the leaf. S. canadensis
 223
Shepherdia argentea (Pursh) Nutt.
silver buffaloberry
Habit: Erect, spiny shrubs or small trees, 4’ to 20’ in
height.

Leaves: Opposite; 3/4’ to 1-3/4" long, 1/4” to 3/4”

wide, oblong-lanceolate to oblong-elliptical, thick;
light green and with a silvery pubescence on both
surfaces; apex round; base cuneate to acute; margins
entire; petiole about 1/8” long, pubescent.

Fruit: Subglobose or ovoid berry, about 1/4” in

diameter, red in color.

Twigs: Opposite branching. New twigs slightly ribbed,

grayish-white and pubescent, becoming light grayish-
‘ brown; lateral branchlets short, rigid, spinose or
thorny.

Bark: Gray and shaggy.

Habitat & Range: Found on dry or moist, well-drained

sites in the sun or shade; from each of the Cascade
and Sierra-Nevada Mountains, eastward through the
Great Plains States to the Great Lakes.

Remarks: The fruit is edible, and it is eaten by grouse

and squirrels.

Shepherdia canadensis (L.) Nels.

russet buffaloberry
Habit: A sprawling or erect shrub up to 6’ in height.

Leaves: Opposite; 1’’ to 2-1/2” long, ovate to oblong-

ovate; dark green above, pale green or silvery, and
with rusty dots on the underside; margins entire;
apex acute; base round; petiole up to 1/4” long.
224
Fruit: Red or orange-red,
almost translucent berry,
about 1/4” in diameter.

Twigs: Opposite branching;

younger twigs with a rusty
scurfiness.

Habitat & Range: Found on dry

or moist, well-drained sites, TWiGs,
= LEAF
in the sun or shade. Ranges UNDERSIDES
from Alaska south to east aA
central Oregon, the northern
Intermountain Region, russet buffaloberry
eastward to New England,
and the Appalachian Mountains.

Remarks: An Indian name for this species is soopolallie

(soap-berry—crushed berries yield a soapy froth).

Browsed by white-tailed deer. Fruits are eaten by

birds.

ARALIACEAE Ginseng Family

Oplopanax Mig.

Habit: Shrubs with stout stems which are frequently

armed with numerous prickles.

Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, simple, palmately lobed

and veined; petiole long, armed with irritating prickles.

Flowers: Small, greenish-white, borne in terminal

clusters (panicles).

Fruit: Drupe.

Stems: Usually armed with slender, stiff, irritating

cortical-spines or prickles.
 225
Oplopanax horridum (Sm.) Mig.
devilsclub
Habit: A semi-prostrate to erect shrub, 3‘ to 12’ tall
with large, long-stemmed, palmately lobed and veined
leaves clustered near the ends of the stems. The
leaves and stems are armed with irritating prickles.

Leaves: 5” to 15”’ in diameter, orbicular; margins

palmately 5 to 9 lobed, lobe margins coarsely serrate
to double serrate; bright green above and paler below,
scattered prickles along the veins on both surfaces;
petiole, long, thick, armed with prickles.

Flowers: Small, white, borne in a conical-shaped

terminal cluster 3’ to 6” long.

Fruit: Bright red, flattened, ellipsoidal drupes.

Stems: 1/2’ or larger in diameter, tan or light brown,

abundantly armed with slender, irritating, stiff
prickles (cortical-spines).

Habitat & Range: Occurs on moist, well-drained sites

in the sun or shade, usually along streams or around
seeps. Ranges from Alaska southward into northern
California.

CORNACEAE Dogwood Family

Cornus L.
dogwood
Habit: Tolerant, moist-site shrubs or small trees.

Leaves: Deciduous, opposite (rarely alternate), simple;

margins entire (sometimes wavy); venation arcuate.

Flowers: Perfect; borne in compact heads surrounded

by 4 to 6 large creamy-white or pink bracts, or small
and borne in clusters.
226
Fruit: Drupe.

Twigs: Branching opposite (rarely alternate). Twigs

slender; buds with valvate scales or naked.

KEY TO NORTHWESTERN DOGWOODS

1. Buds naked, slender, dark brown; twigs red.

1. Foliage buds with green, valvate scales; twigs

green to gray; flower buds in naked, hemi-
spherical head. C. nuttalii

2. East of summit of Cascade Mt. C. stolonifere

2. West of summit of Cascade Mt. C. occidentalis

Cornus nuttal/ii Aud.

Pacific dogwood
Habit: Trees up to 60’ tall (usually much smaller), with
a round to oblong-conical crown.

Leaves: 3° to 5” long, 1-1/2” to 3’’ wide, broadly

elliptical to ovate or slightly obovate; bright green
above, paler below; margins entire to wavy; apex
acute; base acute to wedge-shaped; petiole 1/2’ to
1” long, grooved and occasionally minutely pubescen
Leaves red in autumn. Arcuate veins.

Flowers: Very small, greenish-white, borne in a dense

compact head and surrounded by 4 to 6 broad,
creamy white bracts.

Fruit: Flattened, reddish drupes borne in a tight cluster

Twigs: New twigs slender, light green, initially

minutely pubescent, later becoming dark reddish-
purple and somewhat glaucous, eventually grayish-
brown and smooth.
 227
Buds: About 1/3” long, slender ovate, with valvate
scales. At the tip of the twig there are two sets of
paired buds, one set immediately above the lower set
and just below the terminal bud. As a consequence
there is a whorled branch arrangement at the end of
the past season’s growth.

Bark: Thin, dull gray, smooth;

on larger trunks the bark
sometimes breaks into thin
rectangular scales or blocks.
Habitat & Range: Found on
moist, well-drained loamy,
gravelly or rocky soils in the
sun or shade. Ranges from
southwestern British Columbia
southward on the west of the
Cascade and Sierra Nevada
Mountains to southern Califor-
nia, local in central western Idaho. Pacific dogwood
Remarks: Very tolerant. Often an understory tree.
While the species may flower under heavy shade, it
will seldom produce fruit. Associated with bigleaf
maple, red and white alders, vine maple, willow,
Douglas-fir, western hemlock and redwood.

Cornus occidentalis (T.&G.) Coville

western dogwood creek dogwood

Habit: A large, loosely branched shrub with reddish
stems, up to 15° high.

Leaves: 2” to 6” long, ovate to ovate-elliptical; dark

green and lustrous above, the surface appears some-
what wrinkled because of the sunken veins; pale green
and slightly pubescent below; margins entire to wavy;
apex and base both acute; petiole up to 1”’ long.
The leaves turn red in the fall. Arcuate veins.
228
Flowers: Small, white, borne in flat-topped, terminal
clusters.

Fruit: White or ivory, berrylike drupe, about 1/4” in

diameter.

Twigs: Slender, red to

purplish-red in the sun, or
green when shaded.

Buds: Naked, slender, dark

brown; terminal bud about
5/16” long, lateral buds
shorter and tightly
appressed to the twig.

Habitat & Range: Found on

moist, well-drained sites,
along streams; from
western dogwood
Washington to southern
California on the Westside.

Remarks: Foliage and new twigs browsed by deer.

Cornus stolonifera Michx.

red osier dogwood

A shrub very similar to C. occidentalis, from which it

differs chiefly in the presence of runners (stolons).
Common east of the summit of the Cascades, north-
westward to Alaska, and southward to California.

GARRYACEAE Silk-Tassel Family

Garrya Dougl.

silktassel garrya
Habit: Evergreen shrubs or small trees.
 229
Leaves: Persistent, opposite, simple, and leathery;
petiolate.

Flowers: Dioecious; borne in pendent, narrow cylindri-

cal clusters, often densely tomentose.

Fruit: Fleshy (later becoming dry), berrylike drupe.

KEY TO THE SILKTASSELS

Leaf margins curled or revolute; leaf densely

pubescent below. G. elliptica

Leaf margins not revolute; leaf smooth. G. fremontii

Garrya elliptica Dougl.

tree silktassel
Habit: Erect, bushy shrub up to 8’ high, or a small tree
20’ to 30’ tall.

Leaves: 1-1/2’' to 2-1/2” long, elliptical to oval,

opposite; leathery; dark green and nearly smooth
above, paler and tomentose below; margins entire to
slightly wavy, prominent and irregularly revolute;
petiole stout, up to 1/2” long, flattened and grooved
above.

Flowers: Borne ona long, slender, pendent spike,

paired, both the stalk and the flower are covered
with a dense purplish-gray pubescence.

Fruit: Round drupe, up to 1/4” in diameter, covered

with a purplish-gray pubescence.

Twigs: Moderately stout, round, at first yellowish-

brown and pubescent, later smooth and reddish-
brown, gray-reddish-brown, or dark reddish-brown.
Opposite branching.
230
Habitat & Range: Occurs on dry, gravelly or sandy
loams; in the Coast Range and near the ocean from
southwestern Oregon to central California.

Garrya fremontii Torr.

Fremont silktassel
Habit: An erect, evergreen shrub up to 10’ in height.

Leaves: Opposite. 1’ to 2-1/2” long, 1/2" to 1-1/2”

wide, elliptical, oval-elliptical or broadly obovate,
leathery; light yellow-green and smooth above, paler
and smooth or sparingly pubescent below; margins
entire; petiole up to 1/2” long, light yellow-brown
and glabrous.

Twigs: Slender to moderately stout, glabrous, light

yellow-green, becoming reddish-green on the surface
exposed to the sun; older branches gray-olive drab.
Opposite branching.
Flowers: Paired flowers are borne on a long, pendent
spike, with a dense purplish-gray pubescence.
Fruit: Dark blue to bluish-black drupe, about 1/4” in
diameter, glabrous or slightly pubescent.

Habitat & Range: Found on dry sites in the sun, in the

Cascades from central Washington south through the
Sierra Nevada Mountains to southern California.

Remarks: A desirable shrub for ornamental planting.

ERICACEAE Heath Family

Arbutus L.
madrone
Habit: Evergreen trees or shrubs with thick, leathery
leaves; bark exfoliates.

Leaves: Persistent, alternate, simple; Margins entire or

serrate; petiolate.
 231

Flowers: Perfect; bell-shaped or urn-shaped; white to

pink,

Fruit: Pebbly-skinned, berrylike drupe.

Bark: Exfoliates.

Arbutus menziesii Pursh

Pacific madrone
Habit: Evergreen tree 60’ to 100’ tall and 2‘ to 6’ in
diameter; with sloughing bark.

Leaves: 3°’ to 5” long, 1-1/2’ to 3” wide, leathery,

oblong to oblong elliptical; light green when they
first unfold, becoming dark green and glabrous above,
pale silvery-green and glabrous below; margins entire
to very finely serrate; rounded or pointed at the
apex; base round or broadly obtuse; petiole grooved,
up to 1” long, light green and smooth. Dead leaves
fall in spring or early summer. Leaves stay green 13
or 14 months.

Flowers: White, urn-shaped, about 1/4” long, borne in

clusters up to 6” long.

Fruit: Orange-red, pebbly-skinned, berrylike drupe,

about 1/3” in diameter.

Twigs: Stout, light green and smooth, becoming orange-

brown and eventually reddish-brown.

Buds: Ovoid-oblong, about 1/3” long, with imbricated

scales which are green, later becoming light brown,
lateral buds smaller.

Bark: On young stems thin, red or orange-brown,

separates into scales or short strips and exfoliates,
on large trees, reddish-brown, scaly and flaking.
232
Habitat & Range: Somewhat
tolerant. Found on dry to
moist and well-drained loamy,
gravelly or rocky soils. From
southwestern British
Columbia south on the west
of the Cascade and Sierra
Nevada Mountains to
southern California. Eleva-
tional range: from sea level
to 4,700 feet.

Uses: Little used at present.

It has been used to manu-
SHEDS BARK
facture charcoal, and can be
used for furniture and Pacific madrone
panelling and substituted
for dogwood in shuttles.
The wood is difficult to dry
because of its great tendency to warp and check.

Arctostaphylos Adams
manzanita
Habit: Evergreen shrubs or small trees with stiff, crooked
branches and dark reddish-brown, exfoliating bark.

Leaves: Persistent, alternate, simple, held parallel to the

twig in some species.

Flowers: Perfect; 1/4’’, urn-shaped white to pinkish.

Fruit: Mealy, berrylike drupe. Looks like a tiny apple.

Bark: Smooth, reddish-brown, exfoliating in most

species.

Remarks: Essentially a North American genus. The

manzanitas are the principal component of the brush
fields in California. ‘‘Manzanita’’ is Spanish for
“little apple”.
 233
KEY TO THE MANZANITAS

1. Prostrate or creeping shrub. A. uva-ursi

1. Erect shrubs. 2

2. Leaves and twigs hairy. A. columbiana

2. Leaves and twigs smooth. 3

3. Leaves bright green. A. patula

3. Leaves whitish-green. Flower clusters sticky.

A. viscida

Arctostaphylos columbiana Piper

hairy manzanita
Habit: Bushy shrub or
small tree, with stiff
and somewhat
gnarled branches—
seldom exceeds 12’
in height and 5” in
diameter.

Leaves: Leathery, 1”
to 2” long, elliptical,
round or oval; dull
green or pale blue-
green, hairy on both
surfaces; margins
hairy manzanita
entire both apex and
base round to broadly acute; petiole stout, hairy, up
to 3/4” long.

Flowers: Pinkish-white, urn-shaped, borne in small

terminal clusters.

Fruit: Smooth, red, berrylike drupe, 1/4” to 1/3” in

diameter, subglobose.
234
Twigs: Young twigs grayish and hairy, becoming
smooth and dark reddish-brown.

Bark. Smooth, brown on young stems, becoming dark

reddish brown; exfoliates revealing lighter underbark.

Habitat & Range: Occurs on well-drained sandy, gravelly

or rocky soils, in the sun; on the west of the Cascade
and Sierra Nevada Mountains from Washington to
California. This species is common along the coast as
well as in the Coast Range and the Cascade Mountains.

Remarks: In the southern part of its range, it inter-

grades with hoary manzanita.

Arctostaphylos patula Greene

green manzanita
Habit: Evergreen shrub up to 6’ in height.

Leaves: 1°’ to 2” long, ovate to elliptical; light green and

glossy on both surfaces, or at times with a very sparse,
minute pubescence; margins entire; apex and base both
rounded; petiole up to 3/4” long.

Flowers: Pinkish-white, urn-

shaped, borne few to a
cluster,

Fruit: Round, chestnut-

brown to black, berrylike
drupe, about 1/4” in
diameter.

Habitat & Range: Found on

dry, well-drained sites in
the sun; in the mountains MAHOGANY BARK
and on the eastern slopes
green manzanita
and foothills from Mt. Hood
south to southern California, Nevada, and Arizona.
Elevational range: 2,500 to 6,000 feet.
 235
Remarks: A good browse for mule deer.

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng.

kinnikinnick bearberry
Habit: An evergreen, mat-forming shrub.

Leaves: 1/2’ to 1” long, obovate, spatulate or ovate,

leathery; dark green and smooth above, paler beneath;
margins entire; apex round or broadly obtuse, some-
times notched; base wedge-shaped; petiole about
1/8’’ long. The leaves are often held in a vertical
plane parallel to the twig by a twist in the petiole.

Flowers: White or pink, urn-shaped, about 1/4” long.

Fruit: Round, red, berrylike drupe about 1/4” in

diameter; contains 1 to 5 slightly ridged seeds.

Stems: Slender, mostly trailing, REDDISH

frequently root at the nodes;
erect branches 4” to 8” high.

Bark: Mostly smooth or sparsely

pubescent, dark reddish-brown;
on older stems the bark breaks
into narrow strips and exfoliates.

Habitat & Range: Grows ona

variety of soils, but does best in
the sun or partial shade. Found
in western and northern North
America, northern Europe and
northern Asia. Elevational range: ve At
in the United States from sea level kinnikinnick
to 8,000 feet.

Remarks: The mat-forming character makes the species

useful for erosion control. It is the only manzanita
occurring outside of North and Central America.
236
Arctostaphylos viscida Parry.

white manzanita
Habit: Rigidly branched, evergreen shrub up to 9’ tall.

Leaves: Whitish-green, stiff, leathery, persistent, 1’’ to

1-1/2" long, entire, broadly ovate to elliptical.

Flowers: White or pinkish, urn-shaped, in many-flowered,

sticky-stemmed cluster.

Fruit: Light-red, flatly-globose, 1/6” to 1/3”.

Bark: Smooth, reddish-brown.

Habitat & Range: Dry slopes and foothills in northern

California, and Siskiyou Mountains in southwestern
Oregon.

Gaul/theria L.

gaultheria wintergreen
Habit: Evergreen shrubs or subshrubs.

Leaves: Persistent, alternate, simple, leathery; with a

short petiole.

Flowers: Perfect; urn-shaped, white to pink, borne in

clusters.

Fruit: Berry.

Gaul/theria shallon Pursh

salal
Habit: An evergreen shrub, 1’ to 2-1/2’ (occasionally up
to 10’) in height.

Leaves: 1-1/2’ to 3-1/2" long ovate to oval, leathery;

dark glossy green and smooth above, paler beneath;
margins very finely serrate; base rounded or sub-
cordate; venation arcuate; petiole up to 1/4” long,
pubescent.
 237
Flowers: Pinkish, urn-shaped,
about 1/4” long, borne in
loose clusters.

Fruit: Bluish-black, globose

or ovoid berry, about
5/16” in diameter.

Twigs: New twigs green to

red and pubescent, later
becoming grayish-brown
and smooth. Twigs
conspicuously zigzag.

Habitat & Range: Found on

dry to moist, well-drained
salal
sites in the sun or shade;
on the west of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada Moun-
tains from British Columbia to southern California.

Remarks: Salal is perhaps the most common shrub in

the understory of the Pacific Northwest forests. It
reaches its largest size in the fog belt along the
Pacific Coast where dense, extensive patches of the
species often hinder the establishment of reproduc-
tion on cut-over and burned-over areas. Related
species are found in northeastern Oregon and the
Rocky Mountains.
Many birds and mammals feed upon the fruit. Deer
and elk will browse the species occasionally.
The foliage is often used for greenery by the florists.

Ledum L.
Labrador-tea
Habit: Evergreen shrubs.
Leaves: Persistent, alternate, simple; margins entire and
often revolute; pubescent, scurfy or glandular on
the underside; petiole short.
238
Flowers: Perfect; borne in terminal clusters.

Fruit: 5-celled capsule.

Remarks: This genus has but 3 species, all are found in

North America, including one which is also found in
northern Europe and Asia.

Ledum columbianum Piper

Pacific Labrador-tea
Habit: Evergreen shrub up to 3’ tall.

Leaves: 3/4‘ to 2-1/4” long, elliptical to lanceolate-

elliptical, leathery; dark yellow-green and glabrous
above, paler and with a white scurfiness on the under-
side; margins entire and revolute; apex and base both
acute; midrib heavy, pale yellow-green; petiole less
than 1/4” long. The leaves appear to be concentrated
on the upper ends of the stems.

Flowers: White to pinkish-white, small, borne in a flat-

topped or saucerlike cluster.

Fruit: Subglobose capsule, oblong-ovoid, about 1/6”

long.

Stems: Slender, reddish-brown and pubescent, later

smooth and gray-reddish brown; bud scales imbri-
cated, light brown or light reddish-brown, pubescent.

Habitat & Range: Found on moist sites in the sun,

usually around bogs and swamps; mostly along the
coastal area from Washington to southern Oregon.

Remarks: Slightly toxic to livestock.

Menziesia Smith

menziesia
Habit: Shrubs.
 239
Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, simple, margins entire or
finely serrate; petiolate.

Flowers: Perfect; borne few to a cluster.

Fruit: A small, 4- to 5-parted capsule.

Menziesia ferruginea Hook.

rusty menziesia
Habit: A straggly, erect shrub up to 12 feet high.

Leaves: Alternate, 1-1/4’ to 2-1/2" long, thin,

elliptical, obovate or obovate-elliptical; dark green to
bluish-green and sparsely pubescent above, paler and
sparsely and minutely pubescent below; apex and
base both acute; nipple-like tip of midrib protrudes
beyond blade; margins finely serrate; petiole up to
1/4” long, pubescent.

Flowers: Small, yellowish to greenish-purple, 2 to 8 in

a terminal cluster.

Fruit: Ovoid, 4-celled capsule, about 1/4” long,

glabrous.

Twigs: New twigs slender, yellowish-tan and minutely

pubescent, later becoming gray-reddish brown and
breaking up into very fine shreds.

Habitat & Range: Found on moist, well-drained soils

along the coast and in the mountains; from Alaska to
northern California, eastward to western Montana.

Remarks: Poisonous to livestock if eaten in large

quantities.

Rhododendron L.

rhododendron
Habit: Mostly shrubs, occasionally small trees. Tolerant;
prefer moist, acid soils.
240
Leaves: Deciduous or persistent, alternate (commonly
concentrated at the ends of the stems or branches),
simple, thin or leathery; margins entire; petiolate.

Flowers: Perfect; funnel-shaped or bell-shaped; fairly

large, clustered.

Fruit: A semi-woody, 5-parted capsule.

Remarks: This is a very large genus containing an

abundance of species, varieties and hybrids. Many
are cultivated for ornamental purposes.

KEY TO RHODODENDRON SPECIES

Leaves persistent, leathery. R. macrophyllum

Leaves deciduous. R. occidentale

Rhododendron macrophylium D. Don.

Pacific rhododendron
Habit: A straggly, evergreen shrub up to 12’ high.

Leaves: Persistent, 3’’ to 6” long, elliptical to oblong,

thick and leathery; dark green and smooth above,
paler or sometimes rusty below; margins entire, often
slightly revolute; apex and base both acute; petiole
about 1“’ long, stout.

Flowers: Rose-purple, occasionally white, 1°’ to 1-1/2”

long, borne in a round, loose cluster.

Fruit: Capsule about 1/2” long, brown in color.

Stems: Moderately stout, green and glabrous, eventually

gray-reddish-brown. Buds large, pointed, with many
imbricate scales.
Habitat & Range: Occurs on moist, well-drained sites in
the sun or shade; found on the west of the Cascade
and Sierra Nevada Mountains from British Columbia
to central California. Elevational range: sea level
to 4,500 feet.
 241
Remarks: Considered poisonous to sheep.

Rhododendron occidentale (T.&G.) Gray

western azalea
Habit: Loosely branched shrub up to 10’ high.

Leaves: Deciduous, 1-1/2’ to 4” long, 1/2” to 1’’ wide,

elliptical, obovate or obovate-elliptical; green and
smooth above; paler and smooth, or with sparse fine
hairs beneath; margins entire; apex acute; base acute
or wedge-shaped; petiole usually less than 1/2” long.

Flowers: White or tinged with pink, 1-1/4” to 1-3/4”

long, borne in loose clusters.

Fruit: Capsule about 1/2’’ long, brown, and pubescent.

Twigs: New twigs slender, light reddish-brown or

orange-brown, finely pubescent, becoming grayish-
brown and smooth; buds ovoid, about 1/4” long,
with red, imbricated scales.

Habitat & Range: Found on moist, well-drained soils in

the sun or shade; from southwestern Oregon south
to southern California.

Remarks: Poisonous to livestock. Planted as an

ornamental.

Vaccinium L.

huckleberry
Habit: Deciduous or evergreen shrubs.

Leaves: Deciduous or persistent, alternate, simple;

margins entire or serrate; petiole short.

Flowers: Perfect; white or pinkish-white and urn-

shaped, small and clustered.
242
Fruit: Round berry.

Twigs: New twigs ridged, smooth, or pubescent.

Remarks: Found on moist, acid soils in both the Old

and New World. Besides huckleberries, this genus
includes blueberries and cranberries.

KEY TO THE HUCKLEBERRIES

1. Leaves persistent, glossy, stiff, and leathery.

V. ovaturr

1. Leaves deciduous. J

2. Leaf margins entire. V. parvifoliur

2. Leaf margins serrate. V. membranaceurr

Vaccinium membranaceum Dougl.

big whortleberry
Habit: Erect shrub 1’ to 5’ high.

Leaves: Deciduous, 1”’ to 2”

long, 3/8” to 3/4”’ wide, ovate,
obovate or broadly elliptical,
thin; pale green on both sur-
faces, smooth or occasionally
sparsely and minutely
pubescent; margins serrate,
rarely entire; apex and base
both acute; petiole about
1/8” long.
THIN LEAVES, RIBBED TWIG
Flowers: Greenish-white, about
1/8" long. big whortleberry

Fruit: Black, round berry, about 1/4” in diameter,

sweet and edible.
 243
Twigs: Slender, green, and smooth, ridged or angled.

Habitat & Range: Found on dry to moist, sandy or

gravelly loams, in the sun or shade; from Alaska
southward to northern California, eastward to
western Montana.

Remarks: Fruits are gathered and sold commercially.

Numerous birds and mammals feed on the fruit.
Foliage and younger twigs are important game
browse in some localities.

Vaccinium ovatum Pursh

evergreen huckleberry
Habit: Evergreen shrub, with small, glossy, waxy
leaves; up to 10’ tall.

Leaves: Persistent, 1/2’’ to 1-1/2" long, ovate to

oblong-ovate, thick and leathery; appear to be slightly
folded along the midrib; dark glossy green, waxy and
smooth above, paler and smooth below; apex acute;
base round; margins finely serrate; petiole up to
1/8” long, stout and pubescent.

Flowers: Pink, about 1/4” long, borne in small cluster.

Fruit: Round, bluish-

black berry, up to 1/4”
in diameter.

Twigs: Slender, reddish-

brown and pubescent,
later becoming smooth;
ridged on younger
growth; buds about
1/8” long, with red
WAXY LEAF
imbricated scales.

evergreen huckleberry
244
Habitat & Range: Grows on moist, well-drained, sandy
or gravelly loams, in the sun or shade; on the west of
the Cascade and Sierra Nevada Mountains from British
Columbia to central California. Most abundant along
the coast, locally in the Cascade Mt. in Oregon.

Remarks: Very tolerant. Along the coast found

associated with salal, hairy manzanita, rhododendron,
Pacific waxmyrtle, shore pine, Sitka spruce, western
hemlock and Douglas-fir.

Fruits are eaten by birds, mammals, and man. Foliage

is used for greenery by the florists. Planted as an
ornamental. An important browse for elk and deer.

Vaccinium parvifolium Smith

red huckleberry
Habit: A shrub 4’ to 10’ tall (occasionally up to 18’),
closely and finely branched, with green, ribbed twigs.

Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, simple, elliptical to

oblong-elliptical, 1/2’ to 1-1/2" long (generally under
1‘"); dark green above and paler beneath; margins
smooth; petiole about 1/8” long.

Flowers: Small, greenish-white or sometimes reddish.

Fruit: A bright red berry with a translucent skin; about

1/4’ in diameter.

Twigs: Younger twigs green (occasionally red) and

angular or ribbed,

Buds: Small, bud scales red.

Habitat & Range: Grows on all types of sites from

Alaska to California (on the Westside in the Pacific
 Coast states). Elevation:
sea level to 5,000 feet.

Remarks: Berries are

palatable to birds, mam-
mals, and humans. Used
by florists as greenery;
STEMS
planted as an ornamental.
Browsed by elk and deer.
Occasionally the buds, RED BERRIES
leaves, and stems may all VERY THIN LEAVES
be red.
red huckleberry
OLEACEAE Olive Family

Fraxinus L.

ash
Habit: Large streambank trees with opposite branching
and narrow-ridged bark.

Leaves: Deciduous, opposite, pinnately compound;

margins entire or serrate.

Flowers: Dioecious or polygamous (both bisexual and

unisexual flowers on the same tree), smal!, borne in
dense clusters. Staminate (male) flower clusters
extend only 1/2‘ out from the twig. Pistillate
(female) flower clusters are large, open panicles,

Fruit: Single samara with an elongated, straight,

terminal wing.

Twigs: Stout, flattened at the nodes; bud scales brown

to black and densely tomentose. Leaf scars contain
nearly continuous line of bundle scars.
246
Fraxinus latifolia Benth.
Oregon ash
Habit: Tree 40’ to 80‘ tall and 1‘ to 2-1/2” in diameter
with a narrow or broad crown.

Leaves: 5’ to 14” long, with 5 to 9 broad ovate,

obovate, or elliptical leaflets; densely tomentose on both
surfaces when the first appear, at maturity light green
and smooth or slightly tomentose above, paler and
pubescent or tomentose below; terminal leaflet
petiolate, lateral leaflets sessile or with a short petiole;
rachis pubescent or tomentose; leaflet margins entire
to serrate.

Flowers: Dioecious, small,

white, borne in dense
clusters.

Fruit: Single samara with a

terminal wing; 1-1/2” to
2’ long.

Twigs: Stout, round (except

for the nodes which are
flattened); olive drab and
tomentose when new,
eventually becoming gray- Oregon ash
reddish brown.

Bark: Up to 1-1/2” thick, dark gray or gray brown, fur-

rowed and with flat ridges which may be slightly
scaly.

Habitat & Range: Found on moist, sandy, rocky or

gravelly soils, usually near stream, on bottomlands or
around the margins of swampy areas; on the west of
the Cascade and Sierra Nevada Mountains from
southwestern British Columbia southward to central
California. Elevational range: sea level to 2,500 feet.
 247
Uses: Shovel, rake, and hoe handles, furniture, baseball
bats, oars, baskets, boxes and crates, boat building
and cooperage.

Remarks: Intermediate tolerance. Usually associated

with bigleaf maple, red alder, black cottonwood,
willows, Oregon white oak, Douglas-fir and grand fir.
Fairly important browse for deer and elk.

CAPRIFOLIACEAE Honeysuckle Family

Lonicera L.

honeysuckle
Habit: Shrubs or climbing vines.

Leaves: Deciduous to semi-persistent, opposite, with

short petioles (in some instances the leaves may be
united at their bases); margins entire, rarely lobed.

Flowers: Perfect; tubular or trumpet-shaped, borne in

terminal clusters.

Fruit: Berry.

Lonicera involucrata Banks

black twinberry
Habit: Erect shrub up to 10’ tall.

Leaves: Deciduous, opposite, 1-1/2’’ to 5’’ long, ovate,

obovate, ovate-elliptical, or oval; dark green and
smooth above; paler and pubescent, becoming
smooth beneath; margins entire; apex acute; base
acute to obtuse; petiole up to 1/2” long, veins arcuate.

Flowers: Paired, about 1/2’ long, pubescent, surrounded

at the bases by 2 bracts which eventually become
reddish in color; flowers and bracts pubescent.
 248
Fruit: Paired, dark
purple or black berries,
about 1/4” in diameter.

Twigs: Slender, light

yellow-green, ribbed
and pubescent when new,
becoming light reddish-
brown and smooth.
Terminal bud narrow-
conical, about 1/4“’
long; lateral buds
smaller and appressed
to the twig. Opposite
branching.
black twinberry
Bark: Yellowish-gray or grayish-brown and shreddy.

Habitat & Range: Found on moist sites, usually near

streams or bodies of water: from Alaska southward
to the Southwest, eastward to the Lake States
and
Quebec.

Remarks: |n the West associated with willows

and alders.
The best known, most common and widely distri-
buted of the western honeysuckles. In the Rocky
Mountains elk are reported to browse the new
growth.

Sambucus L.

elder
Habit: Moist-site shrubs or trees with soft, pinnate
ly
compound leaves; pith large and spongy.

Leaves: Deciduous, Opposite, pinnately compound;

margins serrate; leaflet base inequilateral,

Flowers: Perfect; small, white, borne in terminal

clusters.

Fruit: Small berries in dense clusters.

 249
Stems: Stout, with a large, spongy pith. Opposite
branching.

KEY TO THE ELDERS

1. Flower and fruit clusters flat or saucer-shaped.

S. glauca

1. Flower and fruit clusters round or dome-shaped. 2

2. Flower and fruit clusters round; berry black.

S. melanocarpa

2. Flower and fruit clusters dome-shaped, fruit

red (sometimes yellow). S. callicarpa

Sambucus callicarpa Greene

Pacific red elder
Habit: A shrub or small tree from 8’ to 20’ tall.

Leaves: Opposite, 6’’ to 12” long, pinnately compound

with 5 to 7 lanceolate to oblong-ovate leaflets; apex
sharply pointed; margins serrate; upper surface dark
green, smooth or slightly hairy, paler beneath.

Flowers: White, borne in dome-shaped clusters.

Flowers earlier than S. glauca.

Fruit: Red (occasionally yellow) berries 1/16” to 1/8”

in diameter. Fruit cluster dome-shaped.

Stems: Soft, with large white pith. Opposite branching.

New sprouts may grow to 12’ in height in one year.

Bark: Smooth, light or dark gray.

Habitat & Range: Occurs on moist, well-drained sites

in the sun; most common on the west of the Cascade
and Sierra Nevada Mountains from British Columbia
south to California.
250
Remarks: Pacific red elder is normally a loosely branched
shrub which coppices freely, forming clumps. The
fruit is commonly eaten by most birds, and in the fall
pigeons feed quite extensively upon it and the blue
elderberry.

Not usually gathered for domestic use, but sometimes

eaten by humans.

Sambucus glauca Nutt.

blue elderberry blue elder
Habit: Usually a large shrub or small tree from 10’ to
20’ or more tall.
FLOWER CLUSTERS
Leaves: Opposite, 6’’ to FLATTENE!
12” long, pinnately
compound with 5 to 9
leaflets similar in
appearance to those of
S. callicarpa.

Flowers: White in terminal

flat-topped clusters.

Fruit: Dark blue-black

berries covered with a
white powdery bloom.
Fruit clusters flat-topped. blue elderberry

Stems: Long, slender, often with glaucous bloom; pith

large, soft, light tan or orange-brown. Opposite
branching. New coppice growth makes very rapid
initial growth (as much as 15’ the first season)

Bark: Rough, grayish-brown to black.

Habitat & Range: Found on moist, well-drained sites in
the sun; from British Columbia south to California,
east through Idaho, Utah, and Nevada. Elevations:
sea level to 9,000 feet.
 251
Remarks: The fruit is eaten by birds, mammals, and
humans; the latter using it for jellies and wines.

Sambucus melanocarpa A. Gray

blackbead elder black elderberry
Habit: Opposite-branched shrub up to 8’ tall.

Leaves: Opposite, 4’ to 8” long, pinnately compound

with 5 to 7 ovate-lanceolate, elliptical or ovate leaf-
lets; dark green and glabrous (may be slightly pubes-
cent when first unfolded) above, paler beneath;
leaflet margins serrate; apex acuminate, base rounded
and inequilateral; terminal leaflet petiolate, lateral
leaflets sessile or with a very short petiole.

Flowers: White, small, borne in a dense rounded cluster.

Fruit: Round, black berry, 1/8’ to 1/4” in diameter, not

covered with a white bloom. Fruit clusters round.
Habitat & Range: Found on moist sites in the sun or
shade; mostly above 2,500 feet; on the east of the
Cascade and Sierra Nevada Mountains from British
Columbia and Alberta south to California, Arizona
and New Mexico.

Remarks: Differs from red elderberry in the shape of

the flower and fruit cluster, and the color of the fruit.

Symphoricarpos L
snowberry waxberry
Habit: Tolerant, small shrubs with fine, slender
branches.

Leaves: Deciduous, opposite, simple, small; margins

entire to lobed; petiolate.

Flowers: Perfect; white to pink, bell-, tubular-, or

funnel-shaped.
252
Fruit: Round to ovoid, white, waxy berry.

Twigs: Very fine or slender, pith hollow; opposite

branching.

Remarks: This genus contains about 15 species, all of

which are found in North America.

KEY TO THE SNOWBERRIES

Leaves usually smooth above; corolla densely hairy

inside. S. albus

Leaves usually pubescent on both surfaces; corolla

with few hairs. S. mollis

Symphoricarpos albus (L.) Blake

snowberry
Habit: Finely branched shrub up to 6’ tall.

Leaves: Opposite; 3/4’ to

2-1/2” long, average about
1” ovate, elliptical or oval;
green and usually glabrous
above, paler and glabrous
or slightly pubescent
below; margins entire (fre-
quently lobed on new
vigorous shoots); petiole
up to 1/4” long.

Flowers: Pinkish-white, bell-

shaped, up to 1/4 long, WHITE BERRIES HANG ON
clustered.
snowberry
Fruit: Round, white, waxy
berry, up to 1/2” in diameter, usually 3 to 5 ina
cluster, persist well into the winter.

Twigs: Smooth, light yellow-brown, very slender or fine;

 253
pith orange-brown, hollow; opposite branching.
Bark: Tan-gray to grayish-brown; tends to split length-
wise on the older stems.

Habitat & Range: Occurs on dry to moist, well-drained

sites in the sun or under partial shade; nearly continent-
wide in distribution (Mexico excepted).
Remarks: An important browse for game animals. Many
birds feed on the fruits. Planted as an ornamental.

Symphoricarpos mollis Nutt.

spreading snowberry creeping snowberry
Habit: A low shrub usually not more than 18” high, or
almost prostrate. Very similar to S. a/bus.

Leaves: 1/2’ to 1“ long, occasionally longer, elliptical,

oval or nearly round, green above, paler below, pubes-
cent on both surfaces (occasionally almost glabrous
above); margins entire; petiole up to 1/4” long.
Flowers: Small, pinkish, bell-shaped, often pubescent,
clustered.
Fruit: Round, white, waxy berry, up to 1/4’’ in diameter.

Twigs: Very slender or fine, younger twigs usually

pubescent; pith hollow; opposite branching.

Habitat & Range: Found on dry to moist sites, usually

in the sun; from British Columbia to southern
California, including the coast ranges.

Remarks: Many birds feed on the fruit.

Viburnum L.

viburnum
Habit: Shrubs or small trees.
Leaves: Deciduous (or persistent), opposite, simple;
margins entire, serrated or lobed; petiolate.
254
Flowers: Perfect; white or pink, clustered.

Fruit: 1- to 3-seeded drupe.

Buds: Naked or with imbricated scales.

KEY TO THE VIBURNUMS

Leaf margins dentate, not lobed; leaves glossy above.

V. ellipticum

Leaf margins serrate, usually 3-lobed near the tip; not

glossy. V. pauciflorum

Viburnum ellipticum Hook.

western wayfaring tree western viburnum

Habit: Loosely branched shrub up to 12’ in height.

Leaves: Opposite, 1-1/2” to 3’ long, oval to almost

round, dark glossy green and glabrous above, pale
green below and finely pubescent; margins coarsely
dentate, except for the lower portion which is entire
or slightly wavy; apex round; base round to sub-
cordate; venation arcuate; petiole 3/4’ to 1” long,
grooved above, reddish, pubescent.

Flowers: White, about 1/3’ across, borne in terminal

clusters.

Fruit: Purplish-black to black, subglobose drupe, about

1/3” in diameter.

Twigs: Gray-reddish brown, becoming grayish-brown;

bud scales reddish-brown, imbricated, hairy along the
margins. Opposite branching.

Habitat & Range: Found on dry to moist, well-drained

sites in the sun or shade; from Washington to
California on the west of the Cascade and Sierra
Nevada Mountains.
 255
Viburnum pauciflorum Py\.
squashberry highbush-cranberry
Habit: Opposite-branched shrub up to 10’ high.

Leaves: Opposite, thin, 1-1/2 to 3” long, round to oval,

broadly elliptical or obovate; green and glabrous
above, paler and finely pubescent below; margins ser-
rate, 3-lobed above the middle; apex of lobes acute;
base round to cordate; petiole up to 1“ long.

Flowers: White, borne in terminal clusters.

Fruit: Red drupe, globose to oblong, about 1/2” in

diameter.

Habitat & Range: Found in moist, cool areas, in the sun

or shade; from Alaska to Oregon, eastward to New
England.

Linnaea L.

NOTE: There is only one species of Linnaea; so no

generic description will be given.

Linnaea borealis L.
twin-flower
Habit: Very low, trailing evergreen shrub with small,
round, lustrous, opposite leaves. Very tolerant.
Usually less than 8” tall. The trailing stems take
root at the nodes.
Leaves: Opposite, persistent, round, 1/2’’ in diameter
or slightly larger; lustrous green on upper surface;
paler and prominently netted-veined on underside;
margins sparsely and irregularly toothed.
Flowers: Pink, tubular-bell-shaped, in pairs at tips of
slender flower stalks.

Fruit: Paired, ovoid, yellowish capsules.

256
Habitat & Range: Prefers cool, moist, densely-forested
sites with deep soil. In northeastern Oregon, twin-
flower is an indicator of a site moist enough for grand
fir (Abies grandis). Widely distributed on good sites
in northern United States, Canada, northern Europe,
and northern Asia.

COMPOSITAE Sunflower Family

Artemisia L.
sagebrush
Habit: Dry-site herbs, shrubs, or occasionally small trees,
with aromatic foliage.

Leaves: Deciduous or persistent, alternate, simple but

often clustered; aromatic; bitter to the taste; often
pubescent.

Flowers: Small, inconspicuous, white to yellow, borne in

terminal spikes or clusters.

Fruit: Achene.

Remarks: Several species are important browse plants

on the western ranges.

Artemisia tridentata Nutt.

big sagebrush
Habit: Small to large silvery-green shrub up to 15’ high,
occasionally arborescent and much branched; bark
shreddy.

Leaves: Persistent, alternate, simple, but usually several

leaves at a node, sessile, 1/2” to 1-1/2” long, long-
cuneate; silvery-green on both surfaces; margins
smooth, except for the apex which is 3-lobed; base
wedge-shaped. Strong-scented.

Flowers: Small, yellowish, tubular, borne on long spikes.

Fruit: Very small achene, 4- to
5-sided.

Twigs: New twigs slender,

silvery-gray and pubescent,
becoming grayish-brown.

Bark: Grayish brown, splits

lengthwise, shreddy.

Habitat & Range: Found ona

variety of soils from the
Cascades and Sierra-Nevada TANGY
Mountains eastward to the OBR
Dakotas and Nebraska, from
big sagebrush
British Columbia south to
the Southwest, also northern Lower California.

Remarks: Big sagebrush is perhaps the most abundant

shrub in the semi-arid portions of western United
States, and certainly the most common and widely
distributed sagebrush.

An important browse for game animals and sheep.

It is the state flower of Nevada.

The Range Plant Handbook states Ta//, dense stands

of the plant are indicative of fertile soil suitable for
small grains and adapted for irrigated farming.

Baccharis L.

Habit: Shrubs or herbaceous plants.

Leaves: Deciduous or persistent, alternate, simple,

usually serrate.

Flowers: Dioecious, white or yellow in color.

258
Fruit: Compressed, ribbed achenes.

Remarks: This genus is indigenous to the Americas.

Baccharis pilularis DC.

kidneywort baccharis
Habit: An evergreen, mat-forming, almost prostrate
shrub, or up to 12” high.

Leaves: Persistent, somewhat leathery, 1/2” to 1-1/4”

long, oblanceolate to obovate, dark green or yellow-
green and glabrous above, paler beneath; margins
entire near the base, sparsely serrate above, revolute;
apex acute to narrowly rounded; base wedge-shaped;
sessile

Flowers: Pistillate flowers whitish, staminate flowers

yellowish.

Fruit: Achene about 3/8” long, ribbed.

Stems: Slender, new twigs light brown to brown,

minutely pubescent, finely ribbed; later grayish-brown ,
ribbed and roughened by small, offset leaf scars.

Habitat & Range: On dry, well-drained sites in the sun;

along the coast from northern Oregon to southern
California.

Remarks: Recommended for sand-dune fixation.

Chrysothamnus Nutt.
rabbitbrush
Habit: Small, dry-site shrubs with grass-like leaves.

Leaves: Persistent, alternate, simple, entire; sessile.

Flowers: Perfect; yellow, borne on small heads in

terminal clusters.
 259
Fruit: Slender, achenes, round and ribbed in cross-
section.

Remarks: This genus contains about 12 species; all are

found in the arid or semi-arid regions of western
North America. All have a latex sap.

KEY TO THE RABBITBRUSHES

Foliage gray-green; branchlets fuzzy. C. nauseosus

Foliage yellow-green; branchlets glandular, occasion-

ally slightly pubescent. C. viscidiflorus

Chrysothamnus nauseosus (Pall.) Britt.

gray rabbitbrush
Habit: Erect shrubs with slender stems, up to 7’ tall.

Leaves: Persistent, 1/2’’ to 2-1/2” long, about 1/16”

wide, linear; grayish-green and tomentose or
pubescent on both surfaces; sessile.

Flowers: Small heads of yellow

flowers, borne in terminal,
saucerlike clusters.

Fruit: Achene, 5-ribbed, smooth

or minutely hairy.

Twigs: New twigs slender,

round, grayish to light yellow
in color.

Habitat & Range: Grow on dry

sandy or gravelly soils in the
sun; found in the Intermountain
GRASS- LIKE
Region between the Cascade
LEAVES
and Sierra Nevada Mountains
and the Rocky Mountains. gray rabbitbrush
260
Remarks: Has several subspecies and varieties. Com-
monly associated with big sagebrush. In the northern
parts of its range, it is an important winter browse for
elk, moose, and mule deer. Sap contains latex.

Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus (Hook.) Nutt.

green rabbitbrush
Habit: Shrub, 1‘ to 8’ in height.

Leaves: Persistent; 1/2’ to 2’ long, linear or linear-

oblanceolate, nearly grasslike; light green, smooth
or slightly pubescent; sticky; sessile.

Flowers: Small yellow flowers borne in a round terminal

cluster. Bloom in late summer.

Fruit: Achene; 5-ribbed, more or less pubescent.

Twigs: Slender, new twigs green, glandular and minutely

hairy, later becoming ashy-gray or grayish-yellow,
roughened by raised, offset leaf scars.

Habitat & Range: Found on dry sites in the sun; in the

Intermountain Region from Washington and Montana
south to the Southwest.

Remarks: This is a polymorphic species with many sub-

.species and varieties. Stems have a latex sap, the
highest content is found in the forms growing on
alkali soils.

REFERENCES

1. Gilkey, Helen M. and Patricia L. Packard - WINTER

TWIGS - NORTHWESTERN OREGON AND WEST-
ERN WASHINGTON. Oregon State University Press,
Corvallis, Oregon. 1962.
 261
. Gilkey, Helen M. and LaRea J. Dennis - HANDBOOK
OF NORTHWESTERN PLANTS. Oregon State Uni-
versity Book Stores, Inc., Corvallis, Oregon. 1967.

. Hayes, Doris W. and George A. Garrison - KEY TO

IMPORTANT WOODY PLANTS OF EASTERN
OREGON AND WASHINGTON. Ag. Handbook
No. 148, U.S.D.A. 1960.

. Kelsey, H.P. and W.A. Dayton - STANDARDIZED

PLANT NAMES. 2nd edition. J. Horace McFarland
Co., Harrisburg, Pa. 1942.

. Little, E.L., Jr. - CHECK LIST OF NATIVE AND

NATURALIZED TREES OF THE UNITED STATES.
U.S.D.A. Ag. Handbook No. 41, Government
Printing Office. 1953.

. Sudworth, G.B. - FOREST TREES OF THE PACIFIC

SLOPE. U.S.D.A. Forest Service Bulletin (unnum-
bered), Government Printing Office. 1908.

. U.S. Forest Service - RANGE PLANT HANDBOOK.

U.S.D.A. Government Printing Office. 1937.

. Van Dersal, W.R. - NATIVE WOODY PLANTS OF

THE UNITED STATES. U.S.D.A. Misc. Publ.
No. 303, Government Printing Office. 1938.

RECOMMENDED READING

. Benson, Lyman - PLANT CLASSIFICATION. D.C.

Heath and Co., Boston. 1957.

. Brockman, C.F. - TREES OF NORTH AMERICA,

Golden Press, New York. 1968.

. Dallimore, W. and A.B. Jackson - HANDBOOK OF

CONIFERAE. Edward Arnold & Co., London. 1948.
262
Fowells, Harry A. et al. - SILVICS OF FO REST
TREES OF THE UNITED STATES. Ag. Hand-
book No. 271. Forest Service, U.S.D.A. 1965.

Harlow, W.M. and E.S. Harrar - TEXTBOOK OF

DENDROLOGY. McGraw-Hill, New York. 1950.

Hitchcock, C. Leo, Arthur Cronquist, Marion

Ombey, and J.W. Thompson - VASCULAR
PLANTS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. 5
volumes. University of Washington Press. 1955-
1965.

Jepson, Willis L. - AMANUAL OF THE FLOWER-

ING PLANTS OF CALIFORNIA. Associated
Students Store, University of California, Berkeley,
California. 1925.

Johnson, Hugh - THE INTERNATIONAL BOOK

OF TREES, Simon and Schuster, Inc. New York.
1973.

Lyons, C.P. - TREES, SHRUBS AND FLOWERS

KNOWN IN WASHINGTON. J.M. Dent & Sons
(Canada) Ltd., Vancouver, B.C. 1956.

10. McMinn, H. and E. Maino - AN ILLUSTRATED

MANUAL OF PACIFIC COAST TREES. Uni-
versity of California Press, Berkeley. 1959.

Vile Pacific Northwest Section, American Society of

Range Management, in Cooperation with U.S.
Forest Service - NORTHWEST RANGE PLANT
MANUAL: SHRUBS (Part 3 of 3).

Peck, Morton E. - AMANUAL OF HIGHER

PLANTS OF OREGON. Binfords & Mort,
Portland. 1961.

Ue Preston, R.J.- NORTH AMERICAN TREES.

lowa State College Press, Ames. 1948.
 263
SUMMARY OF SIMILAR AND DISTINCTIVE
FEATURES OF NATIVE BROADLEAF SPECIES

LEAVES

Opposite Leaves Genera with Both Simple and

Acer spp. Compound Leaves
Ceanothus cuneatus Cytisus Rubus
Ceanothus prostratus
Cornus spp. Genera with Both Persistent
Fraxinus latifolia and Deciduous Leaves
Garrya spp. Artemisia Quercus
Lonicera involucrata Baccharis Rhamnus
Pachystima myrsinites Ceanothus Rhododendron
Philadelphus spp. Cercocarpus Rubus
Sambucus spp. Myrica Vaccinium
Shepherdia spp.
Symphoricarpos spp. Palmately Lobed and Veined
Viburnum spp. Leaves
Acer spp.
Compound Leaves Oplopanax horridum
Cytisus scoparius Physocarpus spp.
Fraxinus latifolia Ribes sanguineum
Berberis spp. Rubus parviflorus
Rhus spp.
Robinia pseudoacacia Leaves Prominently
Rosa spp. Penniveined
Rubus spp. (not R. parviflorus) Alnus spp.
Sambucus spp. Amelanchier spp.
Sorbus spp. Betula spp.
Cercocarpus betuloides
Persistent Leaves Lithocarpus densiflorus
Arbutus menziesii Rhamnus purshiana
Arctostaphylos spp.
Artemisia tridentata Persistent Leaves (Continued)
Baccharis pilularis Mahonia spp.
Castanopsis chrysophylla Myrica californica
Ceanothus spp. (not Pachystima myrsinites
C. sanguineus) Purshia tridentata
Cercocarpus spp. Quercus chrysolepis
Chrysothamnus spp. Rhododendron macrophyllum
Garrya spp. Rubus laciniatus
Gaultheria shallon Rubus thyrsanthus
Ledum columbianum Rubus vitifolius
Lithocarpus densiflorus Umbellularia californica
Vaccinium ovatum
264

Revolute Leaf Margins Glands on Leaf Margins or

Alnus rubra Petiole
Castanopsis chrysophylla Alnus rhombifolia
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus Philadelphus gordonianus
Cercocarpus ledifolius Prunus spp.
Garrya elliptica
Ledum columbianum Aromatic Leaves
Lithocarpus densiflorus Artemisia tridentata
Purshia tridentata Ceanothus velutinus
Rhododendron macrophyllum Myrica californica
Rosa rubiginosa
Umbellularia californica

FLOWERS
Dioecious Species Flowers Borne in Aments
Fraxinus latifolia Alnus spp.
Garrya spp. Betula spp.
Osmaronia cerasiformis Castanopsis chrysophylla
Populus spp. Corylus cornuta californica
Salix spp. Lithocarpus densiflorus
Shepherdia spp. Myrica spp.
Populus spp.
Monoecious Species Quercus spp.
Alnus spp. Salix spp.
Betula spp.
Castanopsis spp.
Corylus spp.
Lithocarpus densiflorus
Myrica californica
Quercus spp.

FRUITS
Achenes Berries
Artemisia tridentata Gaultheria shallon
Baccharis pilularis Lonicera involucrata
Cercocarpus spp. Berberis spp.
Chrysothamnus spp. Ribes sanguineum
Purshia tridentata Sambucus spp.
Rosa spp. (borne in a Shepherdia spp
fleshy hip) Symphoricarpos spp.
Vaccinium spp.
Samaras
Acer spp.
Fraxinus latifolia
 265

Capsule Drupes or Druplets

Ceanothus spp. Arbutus menziesii
Ledum columbianum Arctostaphylos spp.
Menziesia ferruginea Celtis reticulata
Pachystima myrsinites Cornus spp.
Philadelphus spp. Garrya spp.
Populus spp. Myrica spp.
Rhododendron spp. Oplopanax horridus
Salix spp. Osmaronia cerasiformis
Prunus spp.
Legume Rhamnus spp.
Cytisus scoparius Rhus spp.
Robinia pseudoacacia Rubus spp.
Ulex europaeus Umbellularia california
Viburnum spp.
Follicle
Holodiscus spp. Pome (Apple)
Physocarpus spp. Amelanchier spp.
Spiraea spp. Crataegus spp.
Malus diversifolia
Nuts or Nutlets Sorbus spp.
Alnus spp.
Betula spp. Compound Fruits
Castanopsis chrysophylla Cornus nuttallii--multiple of
Corylus cornuta californica drupelets
Lithocarpus densiflorus Rubus spp.--aggregate of
Quercus spp. drupelets

TWIGS AND BRANCHES

Armed with Spines or Thorns New Twigs Distinctly Ribbed
or Prickles or Angular
Crataegus spp. Alnus rubra
Ribes spp. Castanopsis chrysophylla
Robinia pseudoacacia Ceanothus thyrsiflorus
Rosa spp. Cytisus scoparius
Rubus spp. (not Holodiscus discolor
R. parviflorus) Lonicera involucrata
Ulex europaeus Populus trichocarpa
Quercus garryana
Lammas Shoots Quercus kelloggi
Rhamnus purshiana Robinia pseudoacacia
Alnus rubra Ulex europaeus
Vaccinium spp.
266
EXFOLIATING BARK

Arbutus menziesii Physocarpus spp.

Arctostaphylos spp. Rubus spectabilis

PITH

Triangular—Alnus spp. Betula spp. occasionally

remotely triangular.

Stellate—Castanopsis chrysophylla Populus spp.

Lithocarpus densiflorus Quercus spp.

Chambered—Osmaronia cerasiformis. Celtis reticulata

chambered at the nodes only.

Hollow—Symphoricarpos spp.

Large and Spongy—Sambucus spp.

BUDS

Naked—Cornus occidentalis
Rhamnus spp.
Rhus spp.
Robinia pseudoacacia (also submerged)

Stalked—most Alnus spp.; Ceanothus sanguineus

Clustered at Tip of Twig—Quercus spp. Also less fre-

quently in Castanopsis chrysophylla, Lithocarpus
densiflorus and the Prunus species.

ROOTS

Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria on the Roots

Alnus spp Robinia pseudoacacia
Cytisus scoparius Ulex europaeus
Ceanothus spp.
 WINTER TWIG KEY
ci. By George
W.York1/
1a - Leaf scars alternate. .
2a- Buds naked.
3a - Leaf scars broadly Sis Seca
a need) esp ioe sine twinfalgey» . Rhus diversiloba

3b- Lestisanrsronidledieanatesearod RSS

ghee ere etree ES Rhamnus purshiana
2b-“Buseal
4a - At least the flower buds short-stalked, or if
buds not stalked, the pith continuous, very
minute, dense, and 3-angled in cross section.
5a- Pith round in cross section. ........

5b-Pith 3-armed or 3-angled in cross section.

6a - Fruiting structures woody, cone-like,
persisting through the winter. Buds
conspicuously stalked ....... Alnus
6b - Fiuitineireucnieainow wander
conelike and not persisting through
the winter; buds not conspicuously
seas usually on spur shoots

4b-Wench Got ken Greeetnet cance ccly

spongy on drying, and neither very minute
nor 3-angled in cross section.
7a -Lowermost (or the single) bud scale
directly over the leaf scar.
8a - Bud scale single, saclike ...... Salix
8b- Bud scales several, not saclike. Populus
7b-Lowermost bud scale lateral over leaf scar.

Soda aiedtrond TWIGS-NORTHWESTERN

GAECONBAe © WESTERN WASHINGTON
WA by HelenM.
Gilkey
and Patricia L.Packard.1 Oregon t
ue a ae weekena eel tala
 268°
Qa-Buds globose, Gils) often appeari Brankedon
; ut lor neoe spain ake
Suh eee oe Nee es eiCORVIS COnseba
‘Qb - Buds notas above andnever appearing 2-ranked.
10a - Bundle scars more than 7.
“Mas Shes tenes ee
single serTES ya Phys to Oplopanax
| 1b Treor rarelyshrubby:iuoeeigger?
_ obscure, gro

12b-Bud scalesdowny... Quercus garryana

10b-- Bundle scars 7 or fewer,soneemindie
_tinguishableor shriveled leaf scars.
13a - Buldioleear 1. ;
i talaretinpetes 5144: triangular,
i = eee, ene Vace.inium
slightly raised

14b- Leafscarssharplywiangular, not

raised.
130- Bundlescarsmore than 1.
18a - Pith solid orchambered, notcoarsely
spongy.
16a - Bundle scars 5.
17a- Leaf scars ragged; bark shreddy. .

seek bark not

17b- Leatscarsnot raped
shreddy ......- . Sorbus

Tabe A cot vents.cloahiantl ¢sieied

petiole bases deciduous, but
sometimes leaving a slight ridge.
19a- Leaf scars linear; bundle scars
sometimes obscure ..... Rosa
 19b - Leaf scars broader than linear; bundle scars
obvious.
20a- Bud scales densely pubescent .. Holodiscus
20b- Bud scales smooth.
21a -Lowermost bud scales distinctly
swollen, fleshy at the base.
22a - Bud scales not keeled; buds globose
OF Hheatlyison.e meeeaene ans, tae
22b- Bud scales,
Pec chgaee egh
keeled; buds not globose.
23a- Stipule scars present,
linear,
sometimes inconspicuous. . Prunus —
24a- Buds ovoid, 1/4”
to 3/8”
Hak! sulla ial op
24b
- Buds narrow, Seid wise:
an:

23b - Bpalpegets seems SpAiche: OnE a

21b- Lowermast salesnot swollenat

base,
25a - Pith chambered. . SahnoR

25b - PidicaettnucdeN ean Amelanchier

15b-Pith with spongelike ice as

1b- Leek scame ups.

26a - SOE Eeiene, apca a
27a>'Bindlescars
3%. S29 FIs. . Philadelphus
27b-- Bundle scars many inaU line.. . . Fraxinus
26b- Leaf scars not covered by a membrane.
28a- Scars raised on pebsitent petiole bases
and obscured by corky growths ......
o£ Eytan eae cyte onto . Symphoricarpos
28b - Scars
not greatly raised; petiole bases not
persistent, though a ridge sometimes remains.
 (270
; 296 = Paintlicatdencalteeting axoUndlsteriniare
ascending curve orpoint.............. A
30a - Exposed bud scales2........ Acer glabrum
-30b - Exposed bud scales more than 2.
Nie. Terinalbuds sly absent; buds sub-
tended by long white hairs . Acer circinatum
male Terminal buds usually present;
buds not
subtended by hatisntere stelstcte
tte talasa
ior einshite lay em A ce tuc PACE, macrophyllum

29b- PU ope Bieta nerelea ROH

“e Se ee viok

“py NB2aes Bundy eae misao (rarely 3); Gun

Ly large leaf
fiSCAlSirrtamre wet,

33a
Sie« hist smthaeons
notched ............ Sambucus glauca
33b - Bealspaee Pens See ee
entire............ Sambucus callicarpa
32b- Bundle scars 3; twigs slender; leaf scars narrow.
34a - Twigs dull reddish, with predominantly
gray overcoating; buds valvate.
tee ReceeOnnO Gi On wb nO | Cope matali

34b- Twigsdeep
lustrous
red; buds naked. .
00 ial Wie ie Re) Coe CRTC oC_.. Cornus occidentalis
 271

PALEODENDROLOGY OF OREGON
by R.F. Keniston

The first forests of Oregon must have developed about

400 million years ago during the Devonian geologic
period. At that time, there were no vertebrate animals
on land or in the air. In fact, the only vertebrate ani-
mals were some of the primitive fishes found chiefly in
the rivers and in parts of the ocean near the mouths of
rivers. These primitive fishes included Ostracoderms,
which were fish with heads and parts of the body cov-
ered with bony plates. Later in that period, came sharks
and other types of fishes. At that time on the land were
the first plants with stems. They must have occurred
chiefly in marshy places, near rivers or lakes; and they
were apparently fernlike plants and giant horse-tails.
But there were also a few Cordaites, which were early
conifers, although quite fernlike in appearance.

Following the Devonian Period, from 345 to 280

million years ago, was the great Carboniferous Period—
the Great Coal Age, consisting of the Mississippian and
Pennsylvanian geologic periods. During this time, much
of the land of the earth was occupied by humid, tropical
forests of large tree-ferns and so-called seed-ferns which
were really primitive gymnosperms. But trees with
annual rings, such as we now know, did not become com-
mon until much later—during the Mesozoic Era. During
this Carboniferous Period, however, amphibians and
insects became common. The Paleozoic Era, or the
great period of ancient life, ended with the folding of
the Appalachian Mountains about 230 million years ago.
At that time most of Oregon was covered by warm seas;
volcanoes were active in the northeastern part of the
state and later in southwestern Oregon.

During the succeeding great geologic era, called the

Mesozoic or Middle-Life Era, which lasted from 230
million to 70 million years ago, the first forests with
trees resembling any we know today became common.
272
Early conifers, like those in the Petrified Forests of
Arizona, lived during this great age of reptiles.

During the first 50 million years of the Mesozoic Era,

during a period called the Triassic, most of Oregon was
still covered by warm seas, the climate was humid, and
the land plants were apparently still trees with fernlike
leaves or giant ferns or giant horse-tails. Evidences of
plants living at that time were much limited because
only plants living near margins of lakes or in swamps
have much chance of leaving fossil remains. Plant fossils
usually consist of imprints of leaves or sometimes fruits,
or petrified wood. If a plant fell into water and was
covered by mud, or by volcanic ash, there was some
chance of its remains being preserved in the fossil record.

During the Jurassic period in Oregon, which was from

180 to 135 million years ago, ferns, cycads, ginkgos, and
conifers were common. These were of kinds no longer
living, but were abundantly represented in the fossil
record and bore sufficient resemblance to living forms
so that their relationship could be recognized. The
ginkgos were like modern ginkgos, except the leaves
were divided by deep sinuses.

It was during the following period, the Cretaceous

Period, which lasted from 135 to 70 million years ago,
that the fossil record in Oregon became rather complete.
During Cretaceous time, an inland sea evidently covered
much or most of the state—including much of the John
Day and Crooked River basins of Central Oregon—and
extended northward into Washington and British
Columbia and southward into California. The land plants
must have lived on large islands or peninsulas extending
into this body of water. During the Cretaceous Period a
great variety of flowering plants, grasses, and deciduous
trees spread over the earth. Trees like oak, maple, and
elm became common, but not, apparently, in Oregon.

The end of the Cretaceous Period came with the Rocky

 273
Mountain Uplift at which time the oceans or seas
withdrew from the continents and a large mountain
chain was formed throughout the length of the western
hemisphere. The dinosaurs died out completely and the
mammals became the dominant land animals. The rise
of the mammals coincided with the rise of the flowering
plants—that is angiosperms. It was on these plants that
the mammals depended for food.

During the Eocene Epoch in Oregon which lasted

from 63 million until about 36 million years ago, the
forests of this state apparently still consisted of lush
tropical vegetation. In Oregon, the Eocene rocks are
largely of volcanic origin; and it was the volcanic ash
falling in lakes and swamps which helped preserve most
of the plant fossils that we find today. The vegetation
of the dry, upland sites is scarcely known because con-
ditions for formation of fossils did not exist. In Oregon,
. the Eocene plant fossils do not include any of our com-
mon present-day trees, such as alder, oak, and maple.
There were, however, in what is now the John Day
Basin, members of the laurel family and other families
which are now largely restricted to the warmer parts of
the earth. These included in Oregon the palm, fig,
cinnamon, avocado, and nectandra. Most of these plants
are now found only in the subtropical portions of eastern
U.S. and in the Caribbean and Central American regions.
Cycads and giant ferns were also common. In portions
of Oregon during the Eocene were found in some
abundance leaves of a yewlike tree which we now know
to have been Metasequoia. Also there were a few oaks
as evidenced particularly by occasional acorns or acorn
cups. Some of the principal Eocene fossils in Oregon are
found near Clarno, in central Oregon. Clarno is on the
John Day River between Antelope and Fossil. The
plants of the Eocene period in western Oregon were
quite similar to those in central Oregon indicating that
there was then no major climatic or physiographic bar-
rier between these two parts of the state.
274
During the Oligocene Epoch in Oregon which lasted
from 36 to 25 million years ago, there was still a general
uniformity in vegetation in Oregon from the Pacific
Ocean to the eastern interior of the state. The Willamette
Valley and parts of the Coast Range were then covered
by warm seas. In the land areas a warm-temperature
type of vegetation covered both eastern and western
Oregon. By Oligocene time, the trees were more nearly
like those that we know today. Some of the trees com-
mon in Central Oregon were dawn-redwood (Metasequoia),
maple, oaks, elm, basswood, sycamore, ginkgo, and
Katsura. Katsura is an Asiatic tree which is now found
only in China and Japan. Also there were birch, beech,
chestnut and Liquidambar. With the exception of the
dawn-redwood and the Katsura, both of which are con-
fined to Asia, all the other trees still live in the U.S.,
although many of them only in the eastern U.S.

During the Oligocene, land mammals were also

becoming of somewhat more familiar types. Instead of
the giant, ungainly mammals, many of which died out at
the end of the Eocene, we now had such semi-familiar
mammals as three-toed horses, camels, giant pigs, saber-
toothed cats, Oreodonts, and tapirs. The more tropical
kinds of plants had disappeared. In their place were
typically temperate trees, many of which have relatives
still living in the U.S., but not necessarily now in Oregon.
Temperate forests had developed in high latitudes in
North America and in Eurasia during the previous
Eocene Epoch, notably in Alaska and Greenland. The
climate of Oregon evidently had become drier and
warmer so that much of this vegetation had migrated
from Alaska or Greenland southward.

During the vast time required for the migration of this

temperate Arcto-Tertiary flora from Alaska southward,
several species which had started out from Alaska failed
to survive. Other species were added to this forest along
the way so that when it arrived in Oregon, it was some-
what different from the forest which had existed in
 275
Alaska previously. This forest which existed in Oregon
during Oligocene time much more closely resembles the
modern forest of eastern U.S. or of eastern Asia than it
does the present forest of Oregon. There was also some
resemblance to the present forests of western Oregon
because parts of the Oligocene forest have survived in
western Oregon where the climate is relatively humid as
compared to the dry climate found now in central
Oregon.

There have been many fossil findings representing the

Oligocene Epoch and the following Miocene Epoch,
which lasted from 25 to 13 million years ago. One of
the reasons for the abundance of plant fossils of the
Oligocene and Miocene in Oregon is the great volcanic
activity. The volcanic ash falling on the plants and plant
remains in margins of lakes and in swamps helped pre-
serve them; then following these ash deposits, great flows
of basalt were poured out of the volcanoes at that time,
and these layers of basalt helped preserve the underlying
layers of softer material from erosion.

The fossil record of western Oregon is less well Known

than that of eastern Oregon largely because of the forest
cover that hides the rock outcrops so that not so many
fossils have been discovered. But during the Oligocene
many of the same species were found in western Oregon
as in eastern. These included basswood, elm, avocado,
catalpa, lancewood, and palm. Many of these latter
species now occur only in the warm-temperate and
tropical regions of North America. In Oligocene time,
along the western parts of Oregon, occurred the first
clearly defined representation of the genus Sequoia
rather than the Metasequoi/a.

During the Miocene Period most of the trees in

Oregon had leaves which resembled those of living
species; so the vegetation would have had something of
a familiar look to a modern man. There were many
similarities between the forests of the Oligocene and
276
Miocene Epochs. By Miocene time in what is now the
valley of the East Fork of the John Day River near
Dayville, Oregon, were found leafy twigs of a swamp
cypress, a species of Taxodium, which genus is now
found only in southeastern U.S. There was also a black
oak, Quercus pseudolyrata, which remotely resembled
Quercus borealis and various other modern red oaks.
There were also species of Carya and Platanus, neither of
which is now represented in the modern flora of Oregon.
There was another black oak, Quercus meriamiae, with
more slender leaves, somewhat resembling those of
southern red oak of eastern U.S. There was a Metasequo/a
a ginkgo, an elm, and three species of maple, including one
with pinnately compound leaves resembling those of
modern box-elder. There was a poplar whose leaves
closely resemble those of the modern swamp cottonwood,
Populus heterophylla; a birch resembling paper birch; a
hop hornbeam, resembling Ostrya virginiana; a beech
resembling Fagus grandifolia; and a chestnut-oak similar
to Quercus michauxii; also a species of Le/tneria.

Also included in the Miocene flora found near Dayville

were several Gymnosperms and Angiosperms which are
now restricted to Asia. These included Ginkgo, Meta-
sequoia, Celphalotaxus, Kete/eeria, Pterocarya, Zelkova,
Cercidiphyl/um, and Mathilus. These representatives
found only in the modern Asiatic floras are called the
Asian element of the Miocene forests of Oregon.
Twenty-four of the species, many of which have already
been referred to, have their close living equivalents in
eastern North America, and these are known as the East-
American element. There are a few living species, only
24 in number, which have modern equivalents in western
North America. These are called the Western-American
element. Only nine species of this Western-American ele-
ment are not also found in eastern North America or in
eastern Asia.

It was during the Pliocene Epoch, which lasted from

13 million to 1 million years ago, that the rise of the
Cascades and of the Coast Range had proceeded to the
 277
extent that there was formed a significant barrier between
eastern and western Oregon. By that time the climate
and topography of Oregon had become much as we know
them today. The climate of western Oregon is now much
moister than that of eastern Oregon because the
moisture-bearing winds from the ocean lose much of
their moisture in passing over the Coast Range and the
Cascade Range. Also the drier land masses of interior
Oregon tend to increase rather than diminish the moisture-
carrying capacity of the air; so we now have a sharp dif-
ference in the precipitation and evaporation; and hence,
the flora of western Oregon and of eastern Oregon. This
difference existed both during the Pliocene and the most
recent or Pleistocene Epochs, the Pleistocene Epoch
being only the last one million years.

During the Pliocene there were eruptions of lava cones

at the crest of the Cascade Range and extensive out-
pouring of lava in south-central Oregon. Horses,
rhinoceroses, camels, antelopes, bears, and mastodons
lived in the John Day country. There were large areas of
grasslands because of the drier climate east of the high
Cascade Range and there was a warm-temperate climate
west of the Cascades. The forest and forest trees had a
strong resemblance to the modern forests and trees.

Fossils from The Dalles area show that during the

Pliocene Epoch there were four or five kinds of oaks, an
acacia with thorns, a birch, a box elder, a willow, an
elm, and a sycamore. In the Warm Springs area, there
was a great deal of aspen, with willow, cottonwood,
cherry, and box elder. In the Dayville area in central
Oregon, there was an elm, a sycamore, and a willow.
These latter were common along streams in central
Oregon. It was notable that during the Pliocene the
leaves were of relatively small size and of thick texture
as compared to those of the previous epochs. In the
Alvord Creek area along the east flank of the Steens Mt.
in southeastern Oregon were fir, spruce, pine, willow,
poplar, cherry, and maple. These apparently lived along
the borders of a small lake. It would appear that the
278
amount of rainfall occurring in eastern Oregon must
have been at least twice as much as it is today.

Near Troutdale, Oregon, (west of the Cascades) there

were found Pliocene oaks, willows, elms, sweetgum, and
persimmon and a Sequoia closely resembling Sequoia
sempervirens. So, although the Oregon forests of the
Pliocene bore considerable resemblance to the modern
forests, there was still the difference that there must
have been more abundant moisture in both eastern and
western Oregon at that time.

Much of the woody vegetation of Oregon as we have

seen is derived from the temperate vegetation of the
Eocene Period in Alaska. This we have already referred
to as the Arcto-Tertiary vegetation because it existed in
the Arctic regions during the beginning of the Tertiary
or Cenozoic Era. This Arcto-Tertiary Flora had migrated
to Oregon by the Oligocene Epoch. Most of the trees
now living in Oregon originated from the Arcto-Tertiary
vegetation. There was, however, another significant
element or source of woody vegetation in Oregon. This
is the so-called Sierra-Madrean Flora which originated in
Northwestern Mexico.

The Sierra-Madrean flora consists of trees and shrubs

suited to a drier climate than the Arcto-Tertiary flora.
In the Sierra-Madrean flora we have open, parklike wood-
land with small, rounded trees or xerophytic brushlands—
brushlands consisting of species adapted to dry condition:
This oak woodland prototype which was found in the
Sierra Madre Occidentale in Northwestern Mexico,
migrated northward during the Oligocene Epoch. During
the Miocene, the Sierra-Madrean vegetation dominated
the plain then occupying the area of much of California
and of the Great Basin from the latitude of San Francisco
and Salt Lake City southward.

In Pliocene time, the uplift of the Cascades and the

Sierra-Nevada had formed a major climatic barrier.
Summer rain ceased in California and became scant in
 279
Oregon and in Washington. As the mountains continued
to rise, during the Pliocene and more rapidly during the
Pleistocene, the Cascades and the Sierras became the
dividing line between the relatively moist western forest
and a dry interior forest and desert region to the east-
ward. This Sierra-Madrean flora, during the Pliocene
invaded Oregon in several ways: A northward extension
of California oak woodland is represented in southwestern
Oregon in the vicinity of the Rogue River Valley. The
sagebrush desert occupies much of the southeastern part
of Oregon. Some species of the Juniper-Pinon woodland
now occupy significant areas in Oregon, and some species
related to those typical of the California Chaparral occur
in drier portions of Oregon. So these Sierra-Madrean
species moved into Oregon in the areas that became too
dry for the Arcto-Tertiary forest species.

Some of the species of the California oak woodland

which are also found in southwestern Oregon in the
vicinity of Rogue River Valley include Arctostaphylos
viscida (white manzanita), Arctostaphy/os manzanita or
A. patula (green manzanita) ; Pinus sabiniana (Digger
pine) which apparently did occur recently in small
quantity in southwestern Oregon; Ceanothus integerimus
(deer brush); Rhamnus californica (coffeeberry); Arbutus
menziesii (madrone); A/nus rhombifolia (white alder);
Quercus chrysolepis (canyon live oak); and a species of
Cercocarpus, mountain mahogany.

The sagebrush desert of the southeastern border of

Oregon includes Artemisia tridentata (big sagebrush);
several other species of sage; and Purshia tridentata
(antelope brush or bitterbrush). Rather widespread in
eastern Oregon are Chrysothamnus nauseosus, and other
species of rabbitbrush; also Juniperus occidentalis
(western Juniper). These are considered by some
botanists to be typical species of the Juniper-Pinon
woodland which occupies many scattered small mountain
ranges in the Great Basin and in the high plateau country
of southwestern United States.
280
The Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon and
northwestern California form part of a group of mountain
chains known geologically as the Klamath Mountains.
Their rocks are older and harder than those of the Coast
Ranges and similar to those of the Sierra Nevada. During
the Miocene Epoch the Coast Ranges were submerged,
and during the Pleistocene there was a downward move-
ment of 1,500 feet of the whole coast of northern
California and southern Oregon. There were numerous
other changes in sea level related to the several advances
and retreats of glaciers during the Pleistocene Epoch.
This succession of movements, subsidance, and uplift
helps explain the fact that in the Klamath Mountains in
general, and in the Siskiyous in particular, we have a
number of species restricted to that area, such as Picea
breweriana (weeping spruce); Quercus sad/eriana (Sadler
oak); and Quercus garryana variety brewerli, (Brewer
oak): and various other species. These species apparently
survived in the Siskiyou-Klamath area when advances of
the ocean or unfavorable climate in other parts of
California exterminated the species in most other locall-
ties. Most modern species of Cupressus in the United
States seem to occur only in small, scattered, widely
separated localities where the surviving Cupressus has
developed in each case into a separate species. This is
apparently true of Baker cypress (Cupressus bakeri/),
which is found in Josephine County, Oregon, and in
Siskiyou and Shasta Counties in California, in the
Siskiyou-Klamath mountain region.

Along the coast of California there are several

areas of relict forest or woodland where trees that at
one time were of one species, became isolated over con-
siderable geologic time and in each locality developed
into a separate species. This is true notably of Monterey
Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) and Monterey Pine
(Pinus radiata), which have very limited natural ranges.
It is true of many other species of Cupressus and of
closed-cone pines remotely related to Pinus radiata.

From the standpoint of origin and moisture and

 281
temperature limitations, plant geographers and ecologists
have divided the modern forests of Oregon and the other
Pacific states into several broad groups. The first group
is called the Pacific Forest. This occupies the lowlands
of the Pacific slope from Kodiak, Alaska, south to and
including the Redwood belt of extreme southwestern
Oregon and northwestern California, and inland north of
the Cascade Mountains across British Columbia to
northwestern Montana and southward to parts of
northern Idaho. This includes most of the west-side
forests of Washington and Oregon and the coastal forest
of northern California.

The second category is the Sierran Sub-alpine Forest

which occupies the higher elevations in the Cascade
Mountains and the Sierra-Nevada, but is represented
also in the high neighboring ranges immediately to the
east and west. In Washington this occurs at elevations of
3,000 to 5,500 ft.; in Oregon at about 4,000 to 7,000 ft.
and in California mainly at 7,000 to about 10,000 ft.

The third category is the Sierran Montane Forest

which occupies the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mts.
and adjacent ranges from Kamloops, British Columbia,
to Klamath Lake, Oregon, and the higher levels in eastern
Washington, the mountains of eastern Oregon, the
mountains in California at about 2,000 to 5,000 ft.
elevation in the northern part of California, and 5,000
to 7,500 ft. in the southern part of the Sierras. Also it
includes mountain ranges of western Nevada and the
high mountains of northern Baja California.

The Wallowa Mountains of northeastern Oregon

appear to be more closely related geologically to the
Rocky Mountains than to the Cascade-Sierra complex.
The Wallowas are granitic mountains like the Rockies
and were formed from a giant subterranean intrusion of
igneous rock known as the Wallowa Batholith, which is
believed to be related to the |daho Batholith which
formed during the early Cretaceous Epoch. The main
part of the Rocky Mountain uplift apparently occurred
282
at the close of the Cretaceous. The Wallowa Mts. may
have been formed as part of the same general uplift that
formed the Rockies and the Andes.

The vegetation of the Wallowa Mountains has more in

common with the vegetation of the northern Rockies
than it does with the vegetation of the remainder of
Oregon. This Rocky Mountain relationship is most evi-
dent in the subalpine forest of the Wallowas which
occurs at elevations from about 6,000 to 7,800 ft. and
includes a great deal of alpine fir (Abies /asiocarpa) and
some Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmanni/) which are
typical Rocky Mountain species. However, mountain
hemlock and whitebark pine, more typical of the Pacific
Forest than of the Rocky Mt. Forest, occur fairly com-
monly in parts of the Wallowas. Mountain hemlock
(Tsuga mertensiana) is not particularly abundant in the
Wallowa Mts.; but whitebark pine, (Pinus albicaulis) is
rather common at altitudes above 7,000 ft., where it is
associated with alpine fir and is a common timberline
tree. At lower elevations in the Wallowas, the Rocky
Mountain Montane Forest blends with elements of the
Pacific Forest and the Sierran Montane Forest. Douglas-
fir and ponderosa pine are fairly common. True firs
include representations of both Ab/es concolor (white
fir) and Abies grandis (grand fir). The most common
alder is Rocky Mountain or thinleaf alder (A/nus
tenuifolia). \n the drier areas adjacent to the Wallowas,
the Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopu/orum) is
apparently more common than western juniper,
(Juniperus occidentalis). Some of the cottonwoods of
the Wallowas appear to be intermediate between black
cottonwood and narrowleaf cottonwood. Narrowleaf
cottonwood (Populus angustifolia) is considered a
Rocky Mountain species but occurs in Oregon in the
Steens Mountain area. The cottonwood of the Wallowa
area is classed as black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa).
 283
REFERENCES

Baldwin, Ewart M., 1964. GEOLOGY OF OREGON.

2nd Edition. U. of O. Coop. Bookstore, Eugene.
165 pp.

Benson, Lyman, 1957. PLANT CLASSIFICATION.

688 pp. Heath. Boston.

Cain, Stanley A., 1944. FOUNDATIONS OF PLANT

GEOGRAPHY. 556 pp. Harper. New York.

Chaney, Ralph W., 1933. STUDIES OF THE PLIO-

CENE PALEOBOTANY OF CALIFORNIA. 144 pp.
Carnegie Institution of Washington. Publication
No. 412.

Chaney, Ralph W., 1934. STUDIES OF THE

PLEISTOCENE PALEOBOTANY OF CALI-
FORNIA. 192 pp. Carnegie Institution of Wash-
ington. Publication No. 415.

Chaney, Ralph W., 1948. THE ANCIENT FORESTS

OF OREGON. 56 pp. Condon Lectures. U. of
Oregon Press. Eugene.

Chaney, Ralph W., 1944. PLIOCENE FLORAS OF

CALIFORNIA AND OREGON. 407 pp. Carnegie
Institution of Washington. Publication No. 553.

Dansereau, Pierre, 1957. BIOGEOGRAPHY: AN

ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE. 394 pp. Ronald
Press, New York.

Dunbar, Car! O., 1960. HISTORICAL GEOLOGY. 2nd

Edition. 500 pp. Wiley, New York.

Kummel, Berhnard, 1961. HISTORY OF THE EARTH.

610 pp. Freeman. San Francisco & London.
284
Polunin, Nicholas. 1960. INTRODUCTION TO PLANT
GEOGRAPHY. 640 pp. McGraw-Hill. New York.

Wulff, E.V., 1950. AN INTRODUCTION TO HISTORI-

CAL PLANT GEOGRAPHY. 223 pp, Authorized
translation (from Russian) by Elizabeth Brissenden.
Chronica Botanica Company. Waltham. Mass.
 285
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS OF
FAMILIES OF TREES AND SHRUBS STUDIED

Aceraceae (Maple family)

File small, clustered, polypetalous; in racemes,
corymbs, panicles, or fascicles
Bie double (rarely triple) samara
Wood: diffuse-porous
T. & B.: opposite branching; twigs rounded at nodes
Leaves: opposite; simple, palmately lobed (except in
A. negundo: pinnately compound)

Anacardiaceae (Sumac family)

Elis perfect or imperfect
Re: a drupe, or nutlike
Leaves: deciduous or persistent, alternate or rarely
opposite, pinnately compound or simple,
rarely stipulate

Araliaceae (Ginseng family)

Fle: panicled or racemed umbels. Ovary inferior.
Petals & stamens 5.
Fine: ovary 2- or more loculed. Fruit berrylike,
containing nutlets.
Leaves: Alternate or whorled

Berberidaceae (Barberry family)

Ele both stamens & pistils, sepals 6 or absent,
petals 6 or absent, anthers opening by an
uplifted valve.
Fr.d dry or fleshy
Leaves: alternate compound (Oregon)

Betulaceae (Birch family)

Fle monoecious, mostly anemophilous; both
sexes in aments; staminate preformed
(except in Carpinus)
Frit (1) a nut subtended by a papery or woody
involucre or (2) nutlets in a conelike
cluster
286

Betulaceae (continued)
Wood: diffuse-porous
T. & B.: phyllotaxy 1/2 or 1/3 (in most genera);
twigs slender or medium
Leaves: prominently peniveined in herringbone
pattern; margins often serrate.

Bignoniaceae (Trumpet Creeper family)

rele perfect, sympetalous; large and showy
ee usually a capsule
T. & B.: branching usually whorled or opposite
Leaves: usually whorled or opposite; in Catalpa,
large, showy, simple

Caprifoiiaceae (Honeysuckle family)

Fie corolla regular or irregular, generally 5 lobed
with equal no. of stamens
lire ovary inferior, 2 to 5 lobed, fruit fleshy or
dry
Leaves: opposite

Compositae (Sunflower family)

FE small in close heads, subtended at base by a
whorl of bracts forming an involucre.
Corollas generally 5 toothed.
tae achene, ovary wholly inferior

Cornaceae (Dogwood family)

Fk usually perfect; usually small, in terminal
clusters or heads
Fre drupe
T. & B.: branching usually opposite; twigs usually
slender, upcurving (in Cornus)
Leaves: deciduous; opposite (rarely alternate)

Corylaceae (Hazel family)

falls staminate in long slender catkins, pistillate
clustered in scaly bud
Fes a nut, ovary inferior
Leaves: alternate, simple & deciduous
 287
Cupressaceae (Cypress or Cedar family)
Fie monoecious, except in Juniperus (which is
dioecious)
Fr: cones with decussate (or ternate) scales;
conescales valvate or peltate (coalesced
in Juniperus)
Wood: durable; usually colored
Leaves: decussate (or ternate); decurrent, scalelike
or awl-like leaves in flat sprays or sprays
square or hexagonal in cross section;
dead leaves fall in sprays (small twig and
leaves)

Ebenaceae (Ebony family)

lg: sympetalous; actinomorphic; dioecious or
polygamous
Free berry
Wood: hard; mottled to black; valuable for special
products
Leaves: deciduous (mostly); simple, alternate

Ericaceae (Heath family)

Fale sympetalous; perfect; often showy
Fre berry, capsule, or drupe
Leaves: evergreen in many genera; usually alternate,
simple
Bark: in Manzanita and Madrone, inner layer red-
dish and smooth, often exposed

Fagaceae (Beech family)

— the most valuable group of hardwood timber
trees of Europe and North America
Except for genus Nothofagus, family con-
fined to Northern Hemisphere
Files monoecious; staminate in aments, except in
Fagus (which has round clusters); pistil-
late either (1) solitary or in few-flowered
spikes- in Quercus and Fagus, or (2) in
bisexual aments—in Castanea, Castanopsis,
and Lithocarpus
288
Fagaceae (continued)
Fates nut with scaly or spiny involucre; in many
spp. fruit requires 2 growing seasons to
mature
Wood: ring-porous (or semi-ring-porous) in all U.S.
genera except Fagus, which is diffuse-
porous
T. & B.: phyllotaxy 2/5 or 1/2
Leaves: evergreen or deciduous (in the latter case,
dead leaves tend to persist)

Hamamelidaceae (Witchhazel family)

- contain aromatic oils or oleoresins of com-
mercial value
Fle: (1) perfect in Hamamelis; (2) monoecious,
in round clusters, in Liquidambar
Fis 2-seeded woody capsule (in multiples in
Ligquidambar)
Wood: diffuse-porous
T. & B.: twigs and inner bark aromatic

Hippocastanaceae
- only Aesculus represented in U.S.
Elk: polygamo-monoecious; polypetalous; in
showy erect panicles
Fak capsule with nutlike seed
Wood: diffuse-porous
Leaves: opposite, palmately compound; deciduous

Hydrangeaceae (Hydrangea family)

Fle perfect & regular, mostly cymose in
arrangement, calyx 4-5 lobed, petals &
calyx segments equal in no., stamens
many
Fie few to many seeded capsule
Leaves: opposite

Juglandaceae (Walnut family)

Lele monoecious; staminate in aments; pistillate
solitary or in short spikes
 289
Juglandaceae (continued)
ieleae hard-shelled nut with a smooth leathery or
semi-woody husk; nuts of most spp. are
edible
Wood: _ring-porous or semi-ring-porous; shock-
resistant
T. & B.: phyllotaxy 2/5; twigs usually coarse
Leaves: pinnately compound, with leaflets progres-
sively larger as they are farther from base
of rachis

Lauraceae (Laurel family)

_ noted for aromatic or medicinal properties
Ele: polypetalous; perfect in Umbel/ularia;
dioecious in Sassafras
algae drupe (in 2 major U.S. genera)
Wood: diffuse-porous in Umbellularia; ring-porous
in Sassafras
Roots: Roots of Sassafras strongly aromatic
Leaves: evergreen and strongly aromatic in
Umbellularia; deciduous in Sassafras

Leguminosae (Legume family) (Pulse or Pea Family)

lis polygamous or perfect in most tree genera;
zygomorphic to nearly actinomorphic
Lilie a legume
Wood: ring-porous; durable, colorful
Leaves: pinnately or bi-pinnately compound, in
most genera (rarely simple)
Roots: Roots have nodules containing nitrogen-
fixing bacteria

Magnoliaceae (Magnolia family)

Flee large, showy, perfect, solitary (at least 2’’ in
height or diam.); pistils arranged spirally
on conelike axis
rine conelike aggregate of samaras or follicles
Wood: diffuse-porous; yellow-green heartwood
Twigs: aromatic
Leaves: deciduous or evergreen; simple
290
Myricaceae (Sweet Gale family)
Fale imperfect, both sexes in aments; species
monoecious or dioecious
in drupe
Leaves: deciduous, alternate, simple

Nyssaceae (Tupelo family)

= only genus in North America is Nyssa
Fils small, greenish-white; polygamo-dioecious in
Nyssa
Rts for Nyssa: elongated drupe with ridged pit
Wood: diffuse-porous (Nyssa)
Twigs: pith mostly diaphragmed in Nyssa
Leaves: deciduous, alternate, simple

Oleaceae (Olive family)

Fl.: actinomorphic; 4-merous; sympetalous
(petals absent in most U.S. spp. of
Fraxinus)
listine various; (samara in Fraxinus)
Wood: _ in Fraxinus, ring-porous, resilient
T. & B.: branching usually opposite
Leaves: simple or compound (usually pinnately com-
pound in Fraxinus); usually opposite

Pinaceae (Pine family)

ale monoecious
lf cone with spirally arranged, imbricate scales;
bracts present (longer or shorter than
cone scales)
Wood: resin-ducts always present in most genera;
only occasionally in Tsuga
Leaves: needlelike or linear; leaf-bases or clusters
spirally arranged. Leaves appear
(1) scattered singly around twig, or
(2) two-ranked, or (3) in clusters (sec-
ondary needles of Pinus, Larix, and Cedrus

Platanaceae (Sycamore or Planetree family)

— monotypic family (Platanus is the only genus)
 291
Platanaceae (continued)
Flac monoecious; both sexes in round heads
Fine globose multiples of parachuted achenes
(balls solitary or in strings of 2 to 7)
Wood: diffuse-porous, with prominent rays
T. & B.: twigs zigzag; buds conical, with leaf-scar
completely around base of bud
Leaves: palmately lobed; petiole-base hollow
Bark: outer bark exfoliates, exposing creamy inner
layer

Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn family)

Fil small, usually in simple or racemousely or
paniculately arranged umbels, regular and
perfect, polygamous or diocious.
Pr: capsule or berrylike drupe
Leaves: simple, deciduous or evergreen

Ribesaceae (Gooseberry family)

Fle inracemes, small axillary clusters or solitary,
perfect & regular
Ee. ovary 1 chambered with parietal placentae,
berry
Leaves: alternate, palmate veined

Rosaceae (Rose family)

Flee actinomorphic, perfect, polypetalous,
5-merous
Fr: often a drupe or pome
Leaves: simple or compound; often serrate; some-
times evergreen

Salicaceae (Willow family)

Fle dioecious; both sexes in aments
ize capsule containing seeds tufted with silklike
(or cottonlike) haris; capsules in catkins
Wood: diffuse-porous;soft
T. & B.: phyllotaxy 2/5
Leaves: simple, deciduous
292
Taxaceae (Yew family)
Fe dioecious (rarely monoecious)
Pree fleshy; one-seeded. drupelike
Wood: hard (for a conifer); colorful (reddish or
yellow) very durable
Leaves: flat, linear, pointed; bases spirally arranged
but twisted near base to form 2 ranks
(usually)
_ very tolerant; usually small trees

Taxodiaceae (Redwood family)

File monoecious
rae cone has spirally arranged peltate scales
(usually woody)
Wood: very durable; usually red or brown
Leaves: spirally arranged (often twisted to form two
ranks); linear or awl-like; deciduous in
some genera; dead leaves fall in sprays
(small twig and leaves)
_ These trees tend to be very long-lived

Tiliaceae (Linden family)

-~ (Tilia is the only arborescent representative
in North America)
Flee perfect, polypetalous, actinomorphic; in
cymes or corymbs; in 7//ia flower clusters
suspended from leaflike bract
faites various; in T///a round fruits adnate to leaf-
like bracts
Wood: diffuse-porous in Ti/ia
T. & B.: phyllotaxy 1/2 (Tilia)
Leaves: deciduous, alternate, simple; in T//ia, rounded,
serrate, inequilateral

Ulmaceae (Elm family)

Fails perfect (U/mus) or polygamous (Celtis)
Fire samara (U/mus) or drupe (Ce/tis)
Wood: tough; ring-porous; prominent zigzag pattern
in late wood (cross section)
T. & B.: phyllotaxy 1/2; twigs slender; buds small
Leaves: alternate, simple, deciduous (usually); often
inequilateral at base
 293
TOLERANCE OF AMERICAN FOREST TREES
(Studied in F 254)

WESTERN CONIFERS
Very Tolerant;
Tsuga heterophylla ........ western hemlock
Abies lasiocarpa .......... subalpine fir
Mula pliicata lin se seas western redcedar
axus: DYeVinoliian:. . a. ue aoc Pacific yew
Tolerant:
Bicea: sitchensist. . J... 64... Sitka spruce
Picea engelmannii ........ Engelmann spruce
Tsuga mertensiana ........ mountain hemlock
Abres amabilis gn... csnoee Pacific silver fir
PNOVESEGRANCIS: Goa 5 co aecas Steen grand fir
AblesvconcoloWe . «a «440 0.6 white fir
Sequoia sempervirens ...... redwood
Libocedrus decurrens ...... incense-cedar
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana .. . Port-Orford-cedar
Chamaecyparis nootkatensis . . Alaska-cedar
Intermediate:
Pints monmtrcOldl ss 2. 0 ee western white pine
Pinus Jambertiana ........ sugar pine
Bimusonadiata !A550...
«2 ae ar Monterey pine
BicearOuNnGeNs:i4 «51 a) sale ls blue spruce
Pseudotsuga menziesii ...... Douglas-fir
AbiesimadnitiCa 5... 5.0.26. California red fir
Sequoiadendron giganteum_ . . bigtree
Intolerant:
Emtrsrecuilicr. «eer. ae ty lee, pinyon
Pinus\ponderosa’ 7s se: . 2% ponderosa pine
BiUstenireyir = yar ©mee mee Jeffrey pine
Bintisuconmtottal sm renee) ane lodgepole pine
PrrnuisvantenUatal se. sonsane knobcone pine
Pseudotsuga macrocarpa_ .... bigcone Douglas-fir
Abies procerainpt «asi.a4 os noble fir
JUMIDERUSISD DIME owe juniper
Very Intolerant:
Earixtocciderntalisme® % ...55.. western larch
294
WESTERN HARDWOODS

Very Tolerant:
Acer circinatum) «i ee vine maple
Tolerant:
Lithocarpus densiflorus .... tan oak
Acer macrophyllum........ bigleaf maple
Umbellularia californica ..... California-laurel
Intermediate:
Castanopsis chrysophylla .... golden chinquapin
Fraxinus latitolia ae... Oregon ash
Arbutus menziesii ........ madrone
Intolerant:
ANUIMUS. FU OKs acucite ote cae tec red alder
Quercus garryana ........ Oregon white oak
Very Intolerant:
Populus tremuloides ...... quaking aspen
Populusvspor tie so 4 ee cottonwoods
Salix-sppywiena . 0. obi willows

EASTERN CONIFERS

Tolerant:
Thuja occidentalis: "ae ae a= northern white-cedar
Intermediate:
PinUS StrObDUse aes secs neat en erne eastern white pine
PAMUSKCUIORLME Ne. Ga is tie eee slash pine
Taxodium distichum ...... baldcypress
Intolerant:
Juniperus virginiana........ eastern redcedar
HIMUcHReinece Ga Sao hoc ca red pine
PRINUSweehingtdae ss cia cen: shortleaf pine
BUS TASCA RMMEE Gc weiss cn ort loblolly pine
Pinuswvitginalldgerse ake ao cle Virginia pine
Very Intolerant.
Pinusibanksiana’ ....5 0... jack pine
PURUSsDaIUISHRISMAR «cv bot era ae longleaf pine
 295
EASTERN HARDWOODS

Very Tolerant:
Fagus grandifolia American beech
Illex spp holly
Diospyros spp persimmon
Acer saccharum sugar maple
Cornus florida flowering dogwood
Tolerant:
Acer rubrum: . 256. red maple
Acer saccharinum silver maple
Tilia spp basswood
Nyssa spp tupelos
Aesculus spp buckeyes

Intermediate:
Castanea dentata American chestnut
Quercus alba white oak
Quercus rubra northern red oak
Ulmus americana American elm
Celtis spp hackberry
Magnolia spp magnolias
Fraxinus americana white ash
Platanus occidentalis American sycamore

Intolerant:
Juglans nigra black walnut
Juglans cinerea butternut
Carya spp hickories
Betula papyrifera paper birch
Liriodendron tulipifera yellow-poplar
Sassafras spp nxt ha dusts sassafras
Liquidambar styraciflua . . sweetgum
Prunus serotina black cherry
Gleditsia triacanthos honeylocust
Catalpa spp catalpas

Very Intolerant:
Salix spp willows
Populus tremuloides quaking aspen
Populus spp cottonwoods
Robinia pseudoacacia black locust
296
U.S. FOREST REGIONS*

The more abundant and/or more commercially

valuable trees are listed for each region or division of a
region in approximate order of importance. Trees studied
in F 254 are in bold face type.

PACIFIC COAST FOREST TREES

Northern portion (western Washington and western
Oregon)
Douglas-fir
western hemlock
lowland-white, noble, & silver firs
western redcedar
Sitka and Engelmann spruces
western white pine
Port-Orford and Alaska-cedars
western and Lyall larches
lodgepole pine
mountain hemlock
oaks, ash, maples, birches, alders, cottonwood,
madrone
Southern portion (California)
ponderosa and Jeffrey pines
sugar pine
coast redwood and bigtree
white, red, lowland-white, and shasta-red firs
incense-cedar
Douglas-fir
lodgepole pine
knobcone, digger, and Monterey pines**
bigcone Douglas-fir
Monterey and Gowen cypresses
western and California junipers
oaks, buckeye, laurel, alder, madrone

“ From Forest Trees & Forest Regions of the U.S., USDA Misc.
Publ. No. 217 (1936).
** Monterey pine is now widely planted in the southern
hemisphere.
 297
FOREST TREES OF ALASKA
Coast forest
western hemlock (important)
Sitka spruce (important)
western redcedar
Alaska-cedar (yellow cedar)
mountain hemlock
lodgepole pine
black cottonwood
red and Sitka alders
willows
Interior forest
white (important) and black spruces
Alaska white (important) and Kenai birches
black cottonwood
balsam poplar (Balm-of-Gilead)
aspen
willows
tamarack

ROCKY MOUNTAIN FOREST TREES

Northern portion—Northern Idaho and western Montana
lodgepole pine
Douglas-fir
western larch
Engelmann spruce
ponderosa pine
western white pine
western redcedar
subalpine and grand firs
western and mountain hemlocks
whitebark pine
balsam poplar (Balm-of-Gilead)
Central Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota
lodgepole pine
Douglas-fir
ponderosa pine
Engelmann spruce
alpine fir
298
limber pine
aspen and cottonwood
Rocky Mountain juniper
white spruce
Eastern Oregon, central Idaho, and eastern Washington
ponderosa pine
Douglas-fir
lodgepole pine
western larch
Engelmann spruce
western redcedar
western hemlock
white, grond, and alpine firs
western white pine
oaks (in Oregon)
junipers (in Oregon)
Central portion (Colorado, Utah, and Nevada)
lodgepole pine
Engelmann and blue spruces
alpine and white firs
Douglas-fir
ponderosa pine
aspens and cottonwoods
pinyon and singleleaf pinyon
Rocky Mountain juniper and Utah juniper
bristlecone and limber pines
mountain-mahogany
Southern portion (New Mexico and Arizona)
ponderosa pine
Douglas-fir
white, alpine, and corkbark firs
Engelmann and blue spruces
pinon and Mexican pinon
one-seeded, alligator, and Rocky Mountain junipers
aspen and cottonwoods
limber, Mexican-white, and Arizona pines
oaks, walnut, sycamore, alder, boxelder
Arizona and smooth cypresses
 299
HAWAIIAN FOREST TREES
ohia lehus (Metrosideros polymorpha)
koa (Acacia koa)
mamane (Sorphora chrysophylla)
kukui (Candlenut) (Aleurites triloba)
naio (false sandalwood) (Myoporum sandwicensi)
pua (Osmanthus sandwicensis)
a’e (Xanthoxylum kauaiense)
lama (Maba sandwicensis)
alaa (Sideroxylon auahiense)
koaia (Acacia koaia)
kopico (Straussia oncocarpa)
kolea (Suttonia spathulata)
iliahi (sandalwood) (Santalum freyconetianum)
algaraba (mesquite) (Prosopis juliflora)—native
of S.W. U.S.

CENTRAL HARDWOOD FOREST TREES

Northern portion
white, black, northern red, scarlet bur, chestnut, and
chinquapin oaks
shagbark, mockernut, pignut, and bitternut hickories
white, blue, green, and red ashes
American, rock, and slippery elms
red and silver maples
beech
pitch, shortleaf, and Virginia pines
yellow-poplar (tulip poplar)
sycamore
chestnut
black walnut
cottonwood
black locust
roughleaf hackberry
black cherry
basswood
Ohio buckeye
eastern redcedar
300
Southern portion
white, post, southern red, blackjack, Shumard red,
chestnut, swamp chestnut, and pin oaks
red (sweet) and black gums
mockernut, pignut, southern shagbark and bigleaf
shagbark hickories
shortleaf and Virginia pines
green, white and blue ashes
yellow-poplar (tulip poplar)
winged, American, and red elms
sycamore
black walnut
beech
dogwood
persimmon
swamp and eastern cottonwoods
willows
eastern redcedar
osage-orange
holly
Texas portion
post, southern red, and blackjack oaks
Ashe and other junipers
mesquite

NORTHERN FOREST TREES (northeastern U.S.)

Northern portion
red, black, and white spruces
balsam fir
white, red (Norway), jack, and pitch pjnes
hemiock
aspen (popple) & largetooth aspen
basswoods
black cherry
American, rock, & slippery elms
white and black ashes
sugar and red maples
beech
northern red, white, black, and scarlet oaks
yellow, paper, black, and gray birches
 301
shagbark and pignut hickories
butternut
northern white-cedar
tamarack
Southern portion (Appalachian region)
white, northern red, chestnut black, and scarlet oaks
chestnut
hemlock
white, shortleaf, pitch, and Virginia (scrub) pines
black, yellow, and river birches
basswood
sugar and red maples
beech
red spruce
southern balsam fir
yellow-poplar (tulip poplar)
cucumber magnolia
black walnut and butternut
black cherry
pignut, mockernut, and red hickories
black locust
tupelo
buckeye

SOUTHERN FOREST TREES

Pinelands
longleaf, shortleaf, loblolly, and slash pines
southern red, black, post, turkey, laurel, & willow
oaks
redgum (sweetgum)
winged, American, and cedar elms
black, red, sand, and pignut hickories
eastern and southern redcedars
pond and sand pines
Hardwood bottoms and swamps
red (sweet) gum, swamp and black tupelos
water, laurel, live, overcup, Texas, and swamp
chestnut oaks
baldcypress
302
pecan, water, swamp pignut, and hammock hickories
beech
river birch
water, green, pumpkin, and white ashes
red and silver maples
cottonwood and willows
sycamore
sugarberry (southern hackberry)
honeylocust
holly
red, white, and sweet bays
southern magnolia
pond pine

TROPICAL FOREST TREES

mangrove
royal and thatch palms
Florida yew
wild fig
pigeon plum
blolly
wild tamarind
gumbo limbo
poisonwood
inkwood
"mastic (‘wild olive’)
Jamaica dogwood
 303
STATE TREES

State Common Name Scientific Name

~ Alabama southern pine Pinus spp.

Alaska Sitka spruce Picea sitchensis
Arizona palo verde Cercidium spp.
Arkansas pine Pinus spp.
California redwood Sequoia sempervirens
bigtree Sequoiadendron
giganteum
Colorado blue spruce Picea pungens
Connecticut white oak Quercus alba
Delaware American holly Ilex opaca var. opaca
Dist. of Columbia scarlet oak Quercus coccinea
Florida cabbage palmetto Sabal palmetto
Georgia live oak Quercus virginiana
Hawaii candlenut Aleurites moluccana
Idaho western white pine Pinus monticola
Illinois oak Quercus spp.
Indiana yellow-poplar Liriodendron tulipifera
lowa oak Quercus spp.
Kansas cottonwood Populus spp.
Kentucky yellow-poplar Liriodendron tulipifera
Louisiana southern magnolia Magnolia grandiflora
Maine eastern white pine Pinus strobus
Maryland white oak Quercus alba
Massachusetts American elm Ulmus americana
Michigan eastern white pine Pinus strobus
Minnesota red pine Pinus resinosa
Mississippi southern magnolia Magnolia grandiflora
Missouri flowering dogwood Cornus florida
Montana ponderosa pine Pinus ponderosa
Nebraska American elm Ulmus americana
Nevada singleleaf pinyon Pinus monophylla
New Hampshire paper birch Betula papyrifera
New Jersey northern red oak Quercus rubra
New Mexico pinyon Pinus edulis
New York sugar maple Acer saccharum
North Carolina flowering dogwood Cornus florida
North Dakota American elm — Ulmus americana
304
State Common Name Scientific Name
Ohio Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra
Oklahoma eastern redbud Cercis canadensis
Oregon Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii
Pennsylvania eastern hemlock Tsuga canadensis
Rhode Island red maple Acer rubrum
South Carolina cabbage palmetto Sabal palmetto
South Dakota white spruce Pice glauca
Tennessee yellow-poplar Liriodendron tulipifera
Texas pecan Carya illinoensis
Utah blue spruce Picea pungens
Vermont sugar maple Acer saccharum
Virginia flowering dogwood Cornus florida
Washington western hemlock Tsuga heterophylla
West Virginia sugar maple Acer saccharum
Wisconsin sugar maple Acer saccharum
Wyoming cottonwood Populus blasamifera
 305
INDEX
A
Arctostaphylos 232
Abies 78 columbiana 233
amabilis 80 patula 234
concolor 81 uva-ursi 235
grandis 82 viscida 236
lasiocarpa 84 Artemisia 256
magnifica 85 tridentata 256
magnifica shastensis 86 Ash 245
procera 87 Oregon 246
Acer 207 Ash, Mountain- 196
circinatum 208 dwarf 196
glabrum 209 Sitka 197
glabrum douglasii 210 Aspen 126
macrophyllum 210 Azalea, western 241
Aceraceae 207
Alaska-cedar 101 B
Alder 134 Baccharis 257
mountain 138 pilularis 258
red 136 kidneywort 258
Sitka 137 Bayberry 131
thinleaf 138 Bearberry 235
white 135 Berberidaceae 155
Alnus 134 Berberis 155
rhombifolia 135 aquifolium 156
rubra 136 nervosa 157
sinuata 137 repens 158
tenuifolia 138 Berry, Himalaya 194
Amelanchier 165 Betula 139
alnifolia 167 glandulosa 141
cusickii 167 occidentalis 142
florida 165 papyrifera 143
Anacardiaceae 203 Betulaceae 134
Antelope brush 177 Bigtree 91
Apple 175 Birch 139
Oregon crab 176 bog 141
Araliaceae 224 paper 143
Arborvitae 95 red 142
Arbutus 230 scrub 141
menziesii 231 water 142
306
Birch (continued) Cedrus (continued)
white 143 atlantica 62
Bitterbrush 177 deodara 62
Blackcap 191 libani 62
Blackberry 188 Celastraceae 221
evergreen 191 Celtis 154
wild 195 reticula 155
Blueblossom 216 Cercocarpus 167
Boxwood, Oregon- 221 betuloides 168
Broom, Scotch 200 birchleaf 168
Buckbrush 216 curlleaf 169
narrowleaf 213 ledifolius 169
Buckthorn 218 Chamaecyparis 99
Buffaloberry 222 lawsoniana 100
russet 223 nootkatensis 101
silver 223 Cherry 181
bitter 181
Cc
Chinkapin (Chinquapin) 145
California laurel 158 golden 146
Caprifoliaceae 247 Chokecherry 184
Cascara buckthorn 220 Chrysothamnus 258
Castaopsis 145 nauseosus 259
chrysophylla 146 viscidiflorus 260
Ceanothus 212 Coffeeberry 219
cuneatus 213 Compositae 256
integerrimus 214 Cornaceae 225
prostratus 215 Cornus 225
redstem 216 nuttallii 226
sanguineus 216 occidentalis 227
thyrsiflorus 216 stolonifera 228
velutinus 217 Corylus 144
wedgeleaf 213 cornuta californica 144
Cedar 61 Cottonwood 124
Alaska- 101 black 129
Atlas 62 eastern 127
deodar 62 narrowleaf 131
incense 97 Cranberry, highbush- 255
Lebanon 62 Crataegus 170
Port-Orford- 100 columbiana 171
western red 95 douglasii 172
Cedrus 61 Cupressaceae 95
Cupressus 108 Fir (continued)
macrocarpa 109 red 85
Currant 161 Shasta red 86
prickly 163 silver 80
red-flowering 163 subalpine 84
squaw 164 white 81
swamp 163 Fraxinus 245
wax 164 latifolia 246
Cypress 108 Furze 202
Cypress, Monterey 109 G
Cytisus scoparius 200
Garrya 228
D elliptica 229
Dawn Redwood 91 fremontii 230
Deerbrush 214 Garryaceae 228
Devilsclub 225 Gaultheria 236
Dogwood 225 shallon 236
creek 227 Gooseberry 161
Pacific 226 Gorse 202
red osier 228 H
western 227
Douglas-fir 71, 72 Hackberry 154
netleaf 155
E Hawthorn 170
Elder(berry) 248 black 172
black 251 Columbia 171
blue 250 Hazel 144
red 249 California 144
Elm 154 Hemlock 74
Ericaceae 230 mountain 77
western 75
F
Himalaya berry 194
Fagaceae 145 Holodiscus 173
Filbert 144 discolor 173
Fir 78 Honeysuckle 247
alpine 84 Huckleberry 241
California red 85 evergreen 243
Douglas- 72 red 244
grand 82 Hydrangeoideae 160
lowland white 82
noble 87
308
I Lonicera 247
involucrata 247
Incense-cedar 97
Indian-plum 174 M
J Madrone 230
Pacific 231
Juniper 103
Mahala mat 215
California 105
Mahonia (see Berberis) 155
common 104
Malus 175
western 106
diversifolia 176
Rocky Mountain 107
Manzanita 232
Sierra 106
green 234
Juniperus 103
hairy 233
californica 105
white 236
communis 104
Maple 207
occidentalis 106
bigleaf 210
scopulorum 107
Douglas 210
K Rocky Mountain 209
vine 208
Kinnikinnick 235
Menziesia 238
L ferruginea 239
rusty 239
Labrador-tea 237
Metasequoia 91
Pacific 238
Mock-orange 160
Larch 63
Gordon 161
alpine 65
Lewis 160
subalpine 65
Mountain-ash 196
western 64
dwarf 196
Larix 63
Sitka 197
lyallii 65
Mountain-lover 221
occidentalis 64
Mountain-mahogany 167
Lauraceae 158
birchleaf 168
Laurel, California 158
curlleaf 169
Ledum 237
Myrica 131
columbianum 238
californica 132
Leguminosae 200
gale 133
Libocedrus decurrens 97
Myricaceae 131
Linnaea borealis 255
Myrtle, Oregon- 158
Lithocarpus 147
densiflorus 148 N
Locust, black 201 Ninebark 178, 179
mallow 180
 309
O Pine (continued)
Oak 149 sugar 52
western white 51
California black 153
whitebark 55
canyon live 150
Pinus 48
Oregon white 151
albicaulis 55
Ocean spray 173
attenuata 60
Oleaceae 245
contorta 58
Oplopanax 224
flexilis 54
horridum 225
jeffreyi 55
Oregon-grape 155
lambertiana 52
creeping 158
monticola 51
dwarf 157
ponderosa 57
tall 156
radiata 60
Oregon-boxwood 221
Plum 180
Oregon-myrtle 158
Indian- 174
Osmaronia cerasiformis 174
Klamath 183
Osoberry 174
Poisonoak 205
P
Poplar 124
Lombardy 128
Pachystima 221
Populus 124
myrsinites 221
angustifolia 131
Philadelphus 160
deltoides 127
gordonianus 161
nigra italica 128
lewisii 160
tremuloides 126
-hysocarpus 178
trichocarpa 129
capitatus 179
Port-Orford-cedar 100
malvaceus 180
Prunus 180
icea 66
emarginata 181
breweriana 71
subcordata 183
engelmannii 68
virginiana 184
pungens 70
Pseudotsuga 71
sitchensis 67
menziesii 72
-inaceae 48
Purshia 177
ine 48
tridentata 177
Jeffrey 55
knobcone 60 Q
limber 54
Quercus 149
lodgepole 58
chrysolepis 150
Monterey 60
garryana 151
ponderosa 57
kelloggii 153
shore 58
310
R S
Rabbitbrush 258 Sagebrush, big 256
gray 259 Salal 236
green 260 Salicaceae 123
Redwood 89 Salix 123
coast 89 Salmonberry 193
Sierra 91 Sambucus 248
Rhamnaceae 212 callicarpa 249
Rhamnus 218 glauca 250
californica 219 melanocarpa 251
purshiana 220 Saxifragaceae 160
Rhododendron 239 Sequoia 89
macrophyllum 240 sempervirens 89
occidentale 241 Sequoiadendron 89
Pacific 240 giganteum 91
Rhus 203 Serviceberry 165
diversiloba 205 Cusick 167
glabra 204 Pacific 165
trilobata 204 Saskatoon 167
Ribes 161 Shepherdia 222
cereum 164 argentea 223
lacustre 163 canadensis 223
sanguineum 163 Silktassel 228
Ribesioideae 161 Fremont 230
Robinia pseudoacacia 201 tree 229
Rosa 185 Skunkbush 204
gymnocarpa 186 Snowberry 251, 252
multiflora 187 spreading 253
rubiginosa 187 creeping 253
Rosaceae 165 Snowbrush 217
Rose 185 Sorbus 196
little wood 186 occidentalis 196
multiflora 187 sitchensis 197
sweetbriar 187 Spiraea 198
Rubus 188 Douglas 198
laciniatus 191 douglasii 198
leucodermis 191 lucida 199
parviflorus 192 white 199
spectabilis 193 Spruce 66
thyrsanthus 194 blue 70
vitifolius 195 Brewer 71
 311
Spruce (continued) Viburnum 253
Colorado blue 70 ellipticum 254
Engelmann 68 pauciflorum 255
Sitka 67 western 254
weeping 71 W
Squawcarpet 215
squashberry 255 Waxberry 251
Sumac 203 wax-myrtle 131
smooth 204 Western redcedar 95
Sweetgale 133 Western wayfaring
Symphoricarpos 251 tree 254
albus 252 Whortleberry 242
mollis 253 Willow 123
T Wintergreen 236
Y
Tanoak 147, 148
Taxodiaceae 89 Yew 109
Taxus 109 Pacific 110
brevifolia 110
Thimbleberry 192
Thuja 95
plicata 95
Toxicondendron
diversilobum 205
Tsuga 74
heterophylla 75
mertensiana 77
Twinberry 247
Twin-flower 255
U
Ulex europaeus 202
Ulmaceae 154
Umbellularia californica 158
Vv
Vaccinium 241
membranaceum 242
ovatum 243
parvifolium 244
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