Monthly Archives: October 2016

Red-Twig Dogwood, Cornus sericea

Red-Twig Dogwood                                            Cornaceae-Dogwood Family

 Cornus sericea L.

(KOR-nus  sir-IH-see-uh)

Red Twig Dogwood variety with a Yellow Twig Dogwood (Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea') in the background.

Red Twig Dogwood variety with a Yellow Twig Dogwood (Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’) in the background.

Names:   Cornus sericea is synonymous with Cornus stoloniferaCornus means horn or antler, or “the ornamental knobs at the end of the cylinder on which ancient manuscripts were rolled”—which may refer to the hard wood or the knobby-looking inflorescence of some dogwoods.  Sericea means covered with fine, silky hairs, which are found on the undersides of the leaves, especially on the veins; or on the young branches.  Stolonifera means “bearing stolons (running stems),” due to this shrub’s habit of spreading by the layering of prostrate stems.  It is often called Red-osier Dogwood; other common names include: Red-stemmed, Rose, Silky, American, California, Creek, Western, or Poison Dogwood, Squawbush, Shoemack, Waxberry Cornel, Red-osier Cornel, Red-stemmed Cornel, Red Willow, Red Brush, Red Rood, Harts Rouges, Gutter Tree and Dogberry Tree.  “Osier” is a name for willows whose branches are used for making baskets or wicker furniture.

Relationships:  There are about 100 dogwood species worldwide found primarily in temperate regions.  Three Dogwood trees and a couple of shrub species are found in the eastern or Midwestern United States.  In our region, we also have the Pacific Dogwood tree, and a groundcover, Bunchberry, Cornus canadensis.

Distribution of Red Twig Dogwood from USDA Plants Database

Distribution of Red Twig Dogwood from USDA Plants Database

Distribution: Red-Twig Dogwood is found throughout most of northern and western North America, extending into Mexico in the west; but barely into Kentucky and Virginia in the east.  The variety found west of the Cascades, C. s. occidentalis, tends to be more hairy.  Red-Twig Dogwood is extremely variable; many cultivated varieties are available varying in stem color, size, and leaf variegation.  Notable varieties include ‘Flaviramea,” a yellow-twig form; “Isanti,” a compact form (to 5’) with bright red stems; ‘Kelseyi,’ a dwarf form to 1.5’; and ‘Silver and Gold’ with yellow branches and creamy-edged foliage.

Growth: The species grows 6-18 feet (2-6m) tall, often reaching tree stature in our area.

red-twig-dogwood-flowers

Habitat: It usually grows in moist soil, especially along streams and lakesides, in wet meadows, open forests and along forest edges.  Wetland designation: FACW, It usually occurs in wetlands, but is occasionally found in non-wetlands.

red-twig-dogwood-leafpngDiagnostic characters: Leaves are opposite, oval-shaped, pointed at the tip with the typical dogwood veining pattern; 5-7 secondary veins arise at the midvein, and run parallel to each other out to the margin, converging at the tip.  White threads run through the veins.  Flowers are small, white to greenish in dense, flat-topped clusters (bracts not large and showy as in other dogwoods).  Fruits are white, sometimes blue-tinged with a somewhat flattened stone pit.  Stems are often bright red, especially in winter, but also can be greenish, or yellow.

 

cornus-sericea-shrubIn the Landscape: Red-Twig Dogwood is most often grown for its striking red twigs for winter interest. In fall, its white berries are a striking contrast against its brilliant red fall foliage.  It is especially useful for planting in Rain Gardens, around water retention swales, and for stabilizing streambanks, especially where seasonal flooding is a concern.  It is good for a quick space-filler and can be used as an effective screen in the summer.  This species also  shows promise for being useful in reclaiming mining sites with high saline tailings.

Phenology: Bloom time:  May-July; Fruit ripens: August-September.

Propagation: Cold stratify seeds at 40º F (4º C) for 60-120 days.  Scarifying seeds or a warm stratification period for 60 days prior to cold stratification may increase germination rates.  Red-Twig Dogwood is easily propagated from division, layering and cuttings taken in late summer.

red-twig-dogwood-berriesUse by People: Some natives smoked the dried bark during ceremonies (hence the common name kinnikinnik which usually refers to Arctostaphylos uva-ursi).  They also boiled it and used it medicinally for coughs, colds, fevers, and diarrhea.  The sap was used on arrowheads to poison animals.  The berries were eaten by some tribes, often mixed with Serviceberries.  The bark was used for dye and the stems for basketry, fish traps, and arrows.  The branches are attractive in floral arrangements.

Use by Wildlife: Red-twig Dogwood is an important browse for deer, elk, moose, Mountain Goats, and rabbits.  Although not as desirable as other fruits, the berries often persist through winter, providing food when other fruits are gone.  Mice, voles and other rodents eat the bark and the berries.  Turkeys, pheasants, quail, and grouse eat the fruit & buds.  Bears, ducks, and trout also eat the berries along with many songbirds, the primary agents of seed dispersal.  Beavers use Red-twig Dogwood for food and to build dams and lodges.  Red-Twig Dogwood provides cover and nesting habitat for small mammals and birds and along with other riparian species provides good mule deer fawning and fawn-rearing areas.  Flowers are primarily pollinated by bees.  This species is also a larval host of the Spring Azure Butterfly.

Links:

USDA Plants Database

Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria

WTU Herbarium Image Collection, Plants of Washington, Burke Museum

E-Flora BC, Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Jepson Eflora, University of California

Calphotos

Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center

USDA Forest Service-Fire Effects Information System

Virginia Tech ID Fact Sheet

Native Plants Network, Propagation Protocol Database

Plants for a Future Database

Native American Ethnobotany, University of Michigan, Dearborn

 

Lewis’ Mock Orange, Philadelphus lewisii

Lewis’ Mock Orange                              Hydrangeaceae-Hydrangea Family

Philadelphus lewisii Pursh

(fil-uh-DEL-fus  loo-IH-see-i)

mock-orangeNames:   Lewis’ Mock Orange is also known as Wild, Western, Pacific, Idaho or California Mock Orange.  Presumably due to its growth habit, it is sometimes also called Syringa, the name for the unrelated lilac genus.  Philadelphus means “brotherly love;” named after Pharoah Ptolemy II Philadelphus.  The common name, Mock Orange comes from the similarity of the flowers, in fragrance and appearance, to citrus flowers.   Lewis’ Mock Orange was discovered by Meriwether Lewis in 1806.

Relationships: There are about 60 species of Philadelphus native to North America, Central America, Asia, and southeastern Europe; about 27 Philadelphus species are native to North America.

Distribution of Lewis' Mock Orange from USDA Plants Database

Distribution of Lewis’ Mock Orange from USDA Plants Database

Distribution: Lewis’ Mock Orange is the state shrub of Idaho. It is native from southern British Columbia to the Sierras of central California, to Idaho and Montana in the east.  It is the only common Philadelphus species in the northwest; but it is extremely variable in vegetative and floral characters; a tall form west of the Cascades that has more hairy leaves is sometimes identified as var. gordonianus.  Plants of the dry interior lowlands often have smaller more oval-shaped leaves. There are a few cultivated varieties; “Goose Creek” is a double-flowered form.

 

 

 

Growth:  Lewis’ Mock Orange grows 4.5 to 9 feet (1.5-3 m) tall.  It grows in a variety of habitats from streamsides and moist open woodlands and forest edges, to dry, rocky hillsides, pine forests and sagebrush deserts.

philadlphus-lewisii-flowers

Diagnostic Characters:    Stems grow erect, in a vase-like shape.  Leaves are opposite, short-stalked, oval narrowing to a point, with 3 major veins from the leaf base to the tip.  Younger leaves are often toothed on vigorous new shoots.  Flowers are white and fragrant, usually with 4 petals, in clusters of 3-15.  Fruits are woody, 4-chambered capsules.  The bark is reddish-brown, turning gray and flaking off as it ages.

 

In the Landscape: Mock Oranges have long been prized by gardeners for their fragrant, white flowers. Lewis’ Mock Orange, with its pure white, sweetly scented flowers, has been popular as an ornamental shrub since David Douglas introduced it to Britain in 1825.  The fragrance of the flowers is most often compared to orange blossoms; some compare it to jasmine; others say it has a fruity hint of pineapple.  It is beautiful in the back of a shrub bed, or as a single specimen.  It can be used in a mixed hedge for screening purposes.  The care of mock oranges is similar to lilacs; pruning out old stems, leaving the younger, more vigorous shoots encourages a more spectacular floral display.  It is useful to attract pollinators to your fruit and vegetable garden

philadlphus-lewisii-shrub

 

A double-flowered form.

A double-flowered form.

Phenology: Bloom time:  May-July; Fruit ripens: August-September.

Propagation:  Stratification of the seeds in coarse sand at 41º F (5º C) for 8 weeks increases germination rates.  Lewis’ Mock Orange is easy to propagate from cuttings of half-ripe wood in July/or August or hardwood cuttings taken in December.  Layering is also possible.

 

 

 

 

Use by People: The wood was used by natives for making combs, arrow & harpoon shafts, netting shuttles, cradle hoops, snowshoes, digging sticks and more recently knitting needles and tobacco pipes.  The flowers and leaves are rich in saponins; they were used almost like a bar of soap; mixed with water they can be rubbed into a frothy lather and used to wash hands, body and hair.

Use by Wildlife: Lewis’ Mock Orange is sometimes browsed by deer and elk.  The seeds are eaten by quail and squirrels.  The flowers are pollinated by insects, especially bees.

Links:

USDA Plants Database

Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria

WTU Herbarium Image Collection, Plants of Washington, Burke Museum

E-Flora BC, Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Jepson Eflora, University of California

Calphotos

Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center

USDA Forest Service-Fire Effects Information System

Virginia Tech ID Fact Sheet

Native Plants Network, Propagation Protocol Database

Plants for a Future Database

Native American Ethnobotany, University of Michigan, Dearborn

Gummy Gooseberry, Ribes lobbii

Gummy Gooseberry                          The Currant Family–Grossulariaceae

Ribes lobbii A. Gray

(rye-BEEZ  lob-BEE-i)

Names:  Gummy Gooseberry is also known as Fuchsia-Flowered Gooseberry, Lobb’s or Lobb Gooseberry, Gummy Currant, Pioneer Gooseberry, or Oregon Gooseberry.  It is named after William Lobb, an English plant collector.  It is called “Gummy” due to its hairy-sticky berries and sticky stems and leaves.

Relationships:  Currants and gooseberries belong to the genus Ribes (from the Arabic or Persian word ribas meaning acid-tasting). Some taxonomists separate gooseberries into the genus or subgenus, grossularia. In general, gooseberry plants have prickles; currants do not. Ribes is the only genus in grossulariaceae; which is closely allied with escalloniaceae, and iteaceae; all formerly included in saxifragaceae. There are about 150 species of Ribes in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, northwest Africa, Central America and in the Andes of South America; with about 50 native to North America. 30 are listed in the Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. About 7-8 are native to the west side of the Cascades with about a dozen more found chiefly on the east side of the Cascades and ~17 limited to California or Oregon.

Distribution of Gummy Gooseberry from USDA Plants Database

Distribution of Gummy Gooseberry from USDA Plants Database

Distribution: Gummy Gooseberry is found from Vancouver Island in British Columbia to northern California, mostly on the west side of the Cascade Mountains.

Growth: This species grows 1.5-3 feet (0.5-1m) tall.

Habitat:  It is found in moist to dry sites along streambanks, in open woodlands, lowland valleys, and mountain slopes.  It is more frequent in drier areas; decreasing in frequency with increasing elevation, precipitation, and continentality.

 

 

 

 

Diagnostic Characters:   Stems are spreading, finely hairy, usually with 3 nodal spines; bark brownish at first, turning deep grayish-red.  Small leaves are 3-5 lobed, deeply toothed, sparsely hairy or smooth on the upper surface, more or less hairy and glandular below.  Fuchsia-like flowers (borne singly or doubly) have white or pinkish petals and red calyces; stamens have white to pink filaments and purple or reddish anthers.  Berries are round to elliptic, reddish-brown, and coarsely bristly-glandular.

In the Landscape: With its attractive fuchsia-like flowers, Gummy Gooseberry is well-worth growing in an ornamental landscape.  It needs to be in a drier, well drained site in the garden, and could be a charming addition to a rock garden or hillside.

Phenology: Bloom time:  April-June; Fruit ripens:  August.

Propagation:  Seed is best sown outside or in a cold frame in fall. Stored seed may be stratified at 35º F (2º C) for 120 days.  Hardwood cuttings may be taken in fall or semi-hardwood, earlier in summer.

Use by people: The berries were generally considered unpalatable but were eaten raw or cooked by a few native tribes.  One author writes, “…it was covered with hair so sticky that the berry would adhere to one’s fingers, and gave the fruit a bitter taste, although the pulp itself was agreeable.”  The roots were used in medicinal preparations or boiled with cedar and wild rose roots, pounded and woven into rope or reef nets.  Thorns were used as probes for boils, for removing splinters and for tattooing.

Use by wildlife: Gummy Gooseberry, with its fuchsia-like flowers is attractive to hummingbirds.

Links:

USDA Plants Database

Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria

WTU Herbarium Image Collection, Plants of Washington, Burke Museum

E-Flora BC, Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Jepson Eflora, University of California

Calphotos

Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center

Plants for a Future Database

Native American Ethnobotany, University of Michigan, Dearborn

Black Swamp Gooseberry, Ribes lacustre

Black Swamp Gooseberry            The Currant Family–Grossulariaceae

Ribes lacustre (Pers.) Poir.

(rye-BEEZ  luh-KUSS-ter)

ribes-lacustreNames: Lacustre means “found in lakes.” Black Swamp Gooseberry has many common names including:  Black Swamp Currant; Swamp Black Gooseberry (or Currant); Prickly Black Gooseberry (or Currant); Black Prickly Currant; Bristly Black Gooseberry (or Currant); Black Bristly Currant; Spiny Swamp Gooseberry (or Currant); Swamp Goose Current; Marsh Currant; Lake Gooseberry; and Lowland Gooseberry.

Relationships:   Currants and gooseberries belong to the genus Ribes (from the Arabic or Persian word ribas meaning acid-tasting).  Some taxonomists separate gooseberries into the genus or subgenus, grossularia.  In general, gooseberry plants have prickles; currants do not.  Ribes is the only genus in grossulariaceae; which is closely allied with escalloniaceae, and iteaceae; all formerly included in saxifragaceae.  There are about 150 species of Ribes in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, northwest Africa, Central America and in the Andes of South America; with about 50 native to North America.  30 are listed in the Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest.  About 7-8 are native to the west side of the Cascades with about a dozen more found chiefly on the east side of the Cascades and ~17 limited to California or Oregon.

Distribution of Black Swamp Gooseberry from USDA Plants Database

Distribution of Black Swamp Gooseberry from USDA Plants Database

Distribution:   Black Swamp Gooseberry is found from Alaska to northern California in the west; all across Canada, through the Rocky Mountain States, the Great Lakes region and the North Atlantic states.

Growth:   This species grows 2-6 feet (0.5-2m) tall.

Habitat: It is found in moist woods, swamps and along streambanks, to drier forest slopes and subalpine ridges. Wetland designation: FAC+, Facultative, it is equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands.

 

 

 

ribes-lacustre-flowersDiagnostic Characters:   Stems are erect in sun, spreading or trailing in shade; covered with many golden, bristly, prickles with spines (usually smaller than on R.divaricatum) at the leaf nodes.  Leaves are small with 5 deeply indented lobes.  Small flowers, 5-15, are borne on pendulous, drooping clusters.  Calyces range to a pale yellowish green to a mahogany-red; petals are pinkish.  Fruits are dark-purple with glandular hairs.

In the Landscape:   Black Swamp Gooseberry is a good choice for wet areas in a wild garden.  Its bristly prickles and nodal spines aren’t quite as wicked as the spines on Coast Black Gooseberry, but some people have experienced an allergic reaction (some swelling) after contact.  Its pendulous, mahogany-bronze flowers are interesting.

Phenology:   Bloom time:  April-July; Fruit ripens:  August.

Propagation:  Seed is best sown outside or in a cold frame in fall. Stored seed may be stratified at 35º F (2º C) for 120 days; scarification in a 2 to 10% sulfuric acid solution enhances germination.  Hardwood cuttings may be taken in fall or semi-hardwood, earlier in summer.

ribes-lacustre-berriesUse by People:   The berries were eaten fresh by most of the native tribes of the northwest, although some considered them poisonous.  The fruit is said to have an “agreeable flavor,” tart and very juicy, but when crushed it has an offensive odor.  The fruit can be made into sauces, jams or preserves.  This prickly shrub was thought to have protective qualities to ward off evil and was used to discourage snakes.  A tea made from the bark was used drunk during childbirth or as an eyewash for sore eyes.  The roots were used to make rope and reef nets.

Use by Wildlife:    Black Swamp Gooseberry berries are eaten by rodents, bears, and birds.  Elk, Mule Deer, White-tailed Deer, and Mountain Goats eat the foliage.  This species is good cover for upland game birds, songbirds, and small mammals.

 

 Links:

USDA Plants Database

Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria

WTU Herbarium Image Collection, Plants of Washington, Burke Museum

E-Flora BC, Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Jepson Eflora, University of California

Calphotos

Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center

USDA Forest Service-Fire Effects Information System

Virginia Tech ID Fact Sheet

Native Plants Network, Propagation Protocol Database

Plants for a Future Database

Native American Ethnobotany, University of Michigan, Dearborn