Home > Landscaping > Native Plants for Western Washington Gardens and Restoration Projects
Native Plants for Freshwater Shoreline and Riparian Habitats
 | Abies grandis Grand Fir Abies grandis is a tall, straight tree with short, dense branches. Height: 130-260 feet (40-80 meters). Leaves evergreen. |
 | Acer circinatum Vine Maple Tall, erect, multi-trunked shrub or small tree with sprawling branches. Height: 13-26 feet (4-8 meters) Leaves deciduous. |
 | Achlys triphylla Vanilla Leaf Grows low to the ground, spreading by rhizomes to form dense ground cover in shady areas. Height: To 12 inches (30 cm) tall. Leaves deciduous. |
 | Adiantum aleuticum Maidenhair Fern, Aleutian maidenhair, western maidenhair, serpentine maidenhair Small to medium-sized delicate, deciduous fern with a fan-shaped arrangement of five to seven fingerlike branchlets each bearing many toothed leaflets. Height: 6-43 inches (15-110 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Alisma plantago-aquatica Broadleaf Water-Plantain A terminal cluster of small white flowers sits above a tall leafless stem. It grows in marshy or semi-aquatic environments. Height: up to 48 inches (120 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Alnus rubra Red Alder A fast-growing deciduous tree well suited to disturbed sites. Height: Up to 80 feet (25 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Aquilegia formosa Red Columbine Delicate perennial with large nodding, star-shaped, spurred flowers that are a favorite of hummingbirds. Height: Can grow up to 3 feet (1 meter) tall. Leaves deciduous. |
 | Armeria maritima Sea-thrift. Round balls of pink flowers held on slender leafless stems above a cluster of grass-like leaves. Height: Up to 18 inches (45 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Aruncus dioicus Goat's Beard Tall perennial herb topped with large feathery clusters of white flowers, grows from rhizomes and has multiple stems. Height: Can grow up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) tall. Leaves deciduous. |
 | Asarum caudatum Wild Ginger Low-growing evergreen perennial that smells strongly of lemon-ginger when crushed. Height: Can grow up to 8 inches (20 cm) tall. Leaves deciduous. |
 | Aster chilensis Common California Aster A slender, sprawling perennial that produces light purple flowers. Height: Can grow up to 3 ft. (100 cm.) Leaves deciduous. |
 | Aster modestus Great Northern Aster A tall, much-branched perennial with numerous heads of purplish flowers. Height: Grows up to 40 inches (100 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Aster subspicatus Douglas Aster Rhizomatous perennial wildflower with much-branched stems and light purple aster-like flower heads. Height: Grows up to 32 inches (80 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Athyrium filix-femina Lady Fern Tall, delicate, light-green fronds from a basal cluster. Height: Grows 3-6 feet (2 meters) tall. Leaves deciduous. |
 | Betula glandulosa Bog Birch Spreading, small-branched perennial shrub of bogs and wet areas. Height: Up to 10 feet (3 meters) tall; usually shorter. Leaves deciduous. |
 | Betula papyrifera Paper Birch A small to medium sized deciduous tree with attractive white, peeling papery bark. Height: Up to 100 feet (30 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Boykinia occidentalis Slender Boykinia A slender herb with open panicles of small white flowers. Height: Up to 24 inches (60 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Caltha biflora Marsh Marigold Perennial herb with large white flowers held above broadly rounded leaves; grows in wet subalpine meadows. Height: 16 inches (40 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Caltha palustris yellow marsh marigold Large yellow flowers top this creeping, perennial, semi-aquatic herb. Height: Up to 16 inches (40 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Camassia leitchlinii Great Camas Stately perennial from a deep bulb, producing spikes of large blue flowers in early spring. Height: Up to 28 inches (70 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Carex obnupta Slough Sedge Large grass-like plant creating thick patches in coastal wetlands. Height: 1-5 feet (30-150 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Castilleja miniata Red Paintbrush An attractive wildflower with red brush-like flower clusters. Height: 8-32 inches (20-80 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Chamerion angustifolium Fireweed Tall perennial from rhizome like roots with unbranched stem and terminal spikes of large red to pink flowers. Height: Up to 10 feet (3 meters), but usually shorter than 6 feet (2 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Claytonia sibirica Siberian Spring Beauty Low-growing delicate herb. Height: Up to 16 inches (40 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Cornus nuttallii Western Flowering Dogwood Multi-branched, irregular trees with attractive large white "flowers". Height: Up to 65 feet (20 meters) tall. Leaves deciduous. |
 | Cornus stolonifera Red-osier Dogwood Spreading, thicket-forming shrub with bright red stems. Height: Up to 20 feet (6 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Corylus cornuta Beaked Hazelnut Slender, multi-trunked deciduous shrub. Height: 3 feet - 13 feet (1 meter - 4 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Crataegus douglasii black hawthorn large shrub or small tree with clusters of white flowers and dark purplish-black berries. Leaves deciduous. |
 | Deschampsia cespitosa Tufted Hairgrass Densely tufted perennial grass. Height: Up to 4 feet (120 cm) tall. Leaves deciduous. |
 | Dicentra formosa Bleeding Heart Hairless, soft stems and light green lacy leaves overtopped by small nodding clusters of pink heart-shaped flowers. Height: Up to 1.5 feet (50 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Dodecatheon hendersonii Henderson's Shooting Star Leafless stems topped with nodding star-shaped pink flowers. This is our only shooting star with oval leaves. Height: Up to 1.5 feet (50 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Eleocharis palustris Creeping Spikerush A wetland plant with leafless, grass-like stems topped by small brownish spikes of flowers. Height: Up to 3 feet (100 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Epilobium watsonii Watson's Willowherb Erect herbaceous perennial with opposite leaves. Height: Up to 5 feet (150 cm). Leaves evergreen. |
 | Equisetum arvense Field Horsetail Succulent, hollow, jointed stems with whorls of branches. Height: 6-24 inches (15-60 cm). Leaves evergreen. |
 | Equisetum telmatiea Giant Horsetail More robust and larger than common horsetail. Sheaths around its sterile stems have 14-18 teeth. Height: 3-7.5 (10) feet tall; 1-2.3 (3) meters tall. Leaves deciduous. |
 | Erigeron philadelphicus Philadelphia Fleabane Short-lived perennial with erect stem-base and taproot or fibrous roots. Height: Up to 2.25 feet (70 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Erythronium revolutum Pink fawn lily Large nodding pink flowers grow from a thick and segmented corm. Height: Up to 14 inches (35 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Festuca rubra Red Fescue Perennial grass with thread-like leaves forming small patches. Height: Can grow up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) tall. Leaves evergreen. |
 | Fraxinus latifolia Oregon Ash Tough-wooded tree with gray bark and compound leaflets arranged oppositely around twigs. Height: Up to 82 feet (25 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Fritillaria lanceolata Chocolate Lily, Rice Root Rare herb to 80 cm tall from bulb with numerous rice-like bulblets; flowers are mottled maroon and yellow. Height: Up to 32 inches (80 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Galium trifidum Small Bedstraw Sprawling perennial with numerous stems from slender rhizomes. Height: up to 28 inches (70 cm). Leaves evergreen. |
 | Geum macrophyllum Large-leaved Avens Hairy perennial with short rhizomes and big leaves topped by small yellow flowers. Height: Up to 3 feet (1 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Glyceria elata Tall Mannagrass, Fowl Mannagrass Tall wetland grass. Height: Up to 5 feet (1.5 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Glyceria grandis Reed Mannagrass very similar to G. elata Height: up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) Leaves evergreen. |
 | Gymnocarpium dryopteris Oak Fern Delicate, deciduous fronds. Usually solitary, but often forms a mat of herbaceous cover in forests. Height: To 16 inches (40 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Heuchera micrantha Small-flowered Alumroot Grows from rhizomes with one to many flower stems that are reddish and covered with fine hairs and topped with delicate panicles of tiny white flowers. Height: Up to 2 feet (60 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Hordeum brachyantherum Meadow Barley Grass with erect stems that are bent at the base and sometimes hairy on the leaf sheaths. Height: Up to 3 feet (90 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Juncus acuminatus Tapertip Rush Tufted perennial grass-like plant. Height: Up to 32 inches (80 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Juncus ensifolius Daggerleaf Rush Height: Can grow up to 2 feet (60 cm) tall. Leaves deciduous. |
 | Kalmia microphylla ssp. occidentalis Bog Laurel Small, slender-branched shrub with dark green waxy leaves and clusters of bright pink flowers. Height: Up to 3 feet (1 meter). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Ledum groenlandicum Labrador Tea Evergreen, branching shrub with rusty-hairy leaf undersides and white flowers. Height: Up to 5 feet (1.5 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Linnaea borealis Twinflower Trailing, slender, semi-woody, with short erect leafy stems and dainty bell-shaped flowers. Height: 4 inches (10 cm). Leaves evergreen. |
 | Lonicera involucrata Twinberry Tall shrub with opposite leaves and pairs of small yellow flowers in leaf axils. Height: Up to 10 feet (3 meters tall). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Lupinus polyphyllus Large-leaved Lupine A large perennial native forb with spikes of blue flowers from one to many hairy stems. Height: 3-6 feet (1-2 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Lysichiton americanum Skunk Cabbage A wetland plant with very large waxy erect leaves and yellow flower spikes enclosed in a large yellow sheath. Height: 1-5 feet (30-150 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Malus fusca Pacific Crabapple Small tree, slender in form, appears thorny; bushy in the open. Height: 16.5-40 feet (5-12 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Mentha arvensis Field Mint A wild mint with small groups of light purple flowers in the leaf axils. Leaves deciduous. |
 | Mimulus guttatus Yellow Monkey-flower Large yellow tubular flowers top this deciduous-leaved wetland perennial. Leaves deciduous. |
 | Mimulus lewisii Pink Monkey-flower A clump forming perennial with large pinkish-red flowers. Leaves deciduous. |
 | Myrica californica Pacific Wax Myrtle Tall shrub with small evergreen leaves. Height: Up to 15 feet (5 meters) tall. Leaves evergreen. |
 | Oemleria cerasiformis Indian Plum, Osoberry Deciduous shrub producing clusters of white flowers in very early spring. One of the earliest plants to bloom. Height: 16.5 feet (5 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Oenanthe sarmentosa Pacific Water Parsley Semi-aquatic, often reclining or scrambling herb, with stem tips ascending or curled and small flat-topped clusters of white flowers. Height: Up to 40 inches (1 meter). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Oplopanax horridus Devil's Club An erect to sprawling shrub with thick, spiny, crooked stems and very large leaves. Height: Up to 10 feet (3 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Penstemon serrulatus Coast Penstemon Perennial, sprawling sub-shrub from a woody stem base, with large purple tubular flowers at stem tips. Height: 8-28 inches (20-70 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Petasites palmatus Palmate Coltsfoot Many-stemmed perennial with umbrella-like leaves from creeping rhizomes. Height: Up to 30 inches (80 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Physocarpus capitatus Pacific Ninebark Erect to spreading shrub up to 4 meters tall with clusters of white flowers. Height: Up to 13 feet (4 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Picea sitchensis Sitka spruce Large tree with horizontal branches and drooping branchlets Height: Up to 200 feet (60 meters) tall. Leaves evergreen. |
 | Pinus contorta Shore Pine Short pine tree, often with crooked trunk and bushy habit. Height: Up to 100 feet (30 meters). Leaves evergreen. |
 | Platanthera dilatata White Rein-Orchid, Bog Candle Perennial orchid with spikes of white flowers from tuber-like roots. Height: Up to 28 inches (70 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Populus balsamifera Black Cottonwood Leaves deciduous. |
 | Potentilla anserina ssp. pacifica Silverweed Low growing hairy herb with runners and solitary yellow flowers. Height: Up to 16 inches (40 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Potentilla gracilis Graceful Cinquefoil Light green herb with toothed palmate leaves and diffuse panicles of yellow, saucer-shaped flowers. Height: Up to 32 inches (80 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Potentilla palustris Marsh Cinquefoil Perennial from long, creeping, often floating, somewhat woody rhizomes, with small maroon flowers. Height: Ip to 3 feet (1 meter). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Prunus emarginata var. mollis Bitter Cherry Shrub or small tree with white flowers and small red cherries. Height: Up to 50 feet (15 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Pteridium aquilinum Bracken Fern Rhizomous perennial fern with large, much-divided solitary fronds, Height: Usually 3-6 feet (1-2 meters) tall, sometimes taller. Leaves deciduous. |
 | Rhamnus purshiana Cascara Erect, tall shrub or small tree with alternate leaves and inconspicuous flower clusters. Height: Up to 33 feet (10 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Ribes lacustre Black Gooseberry Erect to spreading shrub with spiny stems. Height: Up to 6.5 feet (2 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Rorippa palustris Bog Yellowcress Leaves deciduous. |
 | Rosa nutkana Nootka Rose Spindly shrub with a pair of prickles at the base of each leaf and large pink rose flowers. Height: Up to 10 feet (3 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Rosa pisocarpa Swamp Rose Thicket forming shrub with spiny stems and clusters of pink rose flowers. Leaves deciduous. |
 | Rubus spectabilis Salmonberry Erect and branching shrub with early spring pink flowers and reddish-orange raspberry-like fruits. Height: Up to 13 feet (4 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Sagittaria latifolia Wapato, Arrowhead Tall semi-aquatic perennial of marshes or lake margins, with large arrowhead shaped leaves and small white flowers. Height: 3 feet (90 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Salix lucida Pacific Willow Leaves deciduous. |
 | Salix piperi Piper's Willow Leaves deciduous. |
 | Salix sitchensis Sitka Willow Leaves deciduous. |
 | Sambucus racemosa Red Elderberry Shrub to small tree with clusters of small white flowers and red berries. Height: 20 feet (6 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani Softstem Bulrush Leaves deciduous. |
 | Scirpus maritimus Seacoast Bulrush Leaves deciduous. |
 | Scirpus microcarpus Small-flowered Bulrush Leaves deciduous. |
 | Sisyrinchium californicum Golden-eyed Grass A small iris-like plant with yellow flowers. Height: 16 inches (40 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Sisyrinchium idahoense Blue-eyed Grass A small clump-forming iris-like plant with small blue flowers. Height: 28 inches (40 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Sium suave Water-parsnip Leaves deciduous. |
 | Spiraea douglasii Douglas' Spirea Leaves deciduous. |
 | Stachys cooleyae Cooley's Hedge Nettle Perennial from rhizomes. Height: Up to 5 feet (1.5 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Streptopus amplexifolius Clasping Twisted Stalk Perennial herb with a branched zigzagging stem and dangling white flowers. Height: 3 feet (1 meter). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Symphoricarpos albus Snowberry Erect shrub with attractive white berries that persist through the winter. Height: Up to 6.5 feet (2 meters). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Tellima grandiflora Fringecup Leaves deciduous. |
 | Thuja plicata Western Red Cedar Large conifer with branches that droop and then turn back up (J-shaped), broad crowns. Height: 100-230 feet (30-70 meters). Leaves evergreen. |
 | Tiarella trifoliata Foamflower Herb with erect or ascending stems and spikes of dainty white flowers. Height: 2 feet (60 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Trillium ovatum Western Trillium Short stout stems topped with a whorl of three leaves and a single large white flower. Height: 12-18 inches (30-45 cm). Leaves deciduous. |
 | Tsuga mertensiana Mountain Hemlock Slow growing evergreen conifer. Height: Up to 40 meters (130 ft) tall, but often shorter. Leaves evergreen. |
 | Typha latifolia Broad-leaved Cattail A tall wetland plant with long, erect sword-like leaves and dense brown flower spikes. Leaves deciduous. |
 | Viburnum edule High Bush Cranberry Shrub with bright red berries and brilliant fall foliage. Height: 3-9 feet (1-3 meters) tall. Leaves deciduous. |
The landscaping and restoration information provided on this page is taken from the Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.