Campus Sign Area Plants: Native: Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum) Habit: Perennial Size: Up to 1.5 m tall Leaves: Stipe dry-scaly, blade lance-shaped, sharped-toothed Sori: Large, circular, centrally attached Underground Parts: Scaly rhizome Habitat: Moist forest (2:421) Use: Rhizome for food, leaves are used to line baking pits and drying racks, young leaves are chewed raw for sore throats and to facilitate childbirth, that water that rhizomes are boiled in can be used to relieve dandruff, spore sacs are placed on burns (1:13)
Salal (Gaultheria shallon) Habit: Creeping shrub, perennial Size: .02-5 m tall Leaves: Alternate, evergreen, leathery, oval-shaped Flowers: White or pinkish, urn shaped Fruit: Reddish-blue to dark purple berries Underground Parts: Fibrous roots Habitat: Coniferous forests, rocky bluffs, to the seashore (2:53) Use: Berries for food, leaves line cooking pits and drying areas, chewed leaves can be applied to sores and burns, tea from the leaves is made for coughs and tuberculosis, leaves are also used in smoking blends (1:43)
Oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor) Habit: Perennial Size: Up to 4 m tall Leaves: Alternate, deciduous, lobed or coarsely toothed Flowers: White to cream, small, lilac-like clusters Fruit: Tiny, hairy achenes Underground Parts: Fibrous roots Habitat: Dry to moist, open sites (2:71) Use: None found
Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus) Habit: Perennial shrub Size: 0.5-3 m tall Leaves: Alternate, deciduous, maple-leaf shaped Flowers: White, up to 4 cm across, often in clusters Fruit: Shallowly domed, raspberry-like clusters Underground Parts: Rhizomatous Habitat: Open sites (2:77) Use: Berries for food, bark is boiled to make soap, leaves are used to wrap elderberries for storage, leaves make a tea for anemia, powdered dried leaves are used on burns to avoid scars (1:35)
Douglas-Fir (Pseudotsuga manziesii ssp. manziesii) Habit: Tree Size: Up to 70 m tall Leaves: Needle flat, yellowish-green, pointed tips, grove on upper surface, 2 white bands of stomata on lower surface Cones: Pollen cones small, reddish brown; young seed cones hanging, oval, green to grey Underground Parts: Fibrous roots Habitat: Extremely dry to moist (2:32) Use: Firewood, torches made from pitchy parts, wood for harpoons, salmon spears, handles; the bark is used to dye fishing nets to make them invisible to fish; pitch is put on sores, needles make a tea for colds, bud tips are chewed for sore throats, bark is boiled for an antiseptic (1:19)
Grand Fir (Abies grandis) Habit: Tree Size: 80 m tall Leaves: Needles are flat, evergreen, dark green and grooved above, two white lines of stomata below Cones: Pollen cones yellowish, seed cones yellowish green to green, erect Underground Parts: Fibrous roots Habitat: Dry to moist coniferous forests, usually in rain shadow areas Use: None found
Vine Maple (Acer circinatum) Habit: Perennial shrub or small tree Size: Up to 7 m tall Leaves: Maple leaves, opposite, deciduous Flowers: White, clusters Fruit: Winged, 2-4 cm long Underground Parts: Fibrous roots Habitat: Moist to wet, generally under other trees in canopy openings or at forest edges (2:93) Use: Basketry, salmon tongs, baby cradles, fish traps (1:40)
Red Alder (Alnus rubra) Habit: Tree Size: Up to 25 m tall Leaves: Alternate, deciduous, broadly elliptic Flowers: Male and female in catkins, appear before leaves Fruit: Clusters of brownish cones, contain winged nutlets Underground Parts: Fibrous roots Habitat: Moist areas, low elevations (2:44) Use: None found
Trailing Blackberry (Rubus ursinus) Habit: Trailing perennial Size: 5 m or more in length Leaves: Alternate, deciduous, 3 leaflets Flowers: White or pink, up to 4 cm across Fruit: Black blackberries Underground Parts: Fibrous roots Habitat: disturbed sites, open areas (2:78) Use: Berries for food (1:36)
Red Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa ssp. pubens) Habit: Shrub to small tree, perennial Size: Up to 6 m tall Leaves: Opposite, deciduous, divided into 5-7 leaflets Flowers: White to creamy, small, with unpleasant odor, pyramidal-like clusters Fruit: Bright red berry-like drupes Underground Parts: Fibrous roots Habitat: Moist areas, open areas (2:70) Use: Berries for food, stems for elk whistles, bark tea for diarrhea (1:47)
Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) Habit: Perennial shrub Size: 4 m tall Leaves: Alternate, deciduous, 3 leaflets, sharply toothed Flowers: Pink to red to reddish-purple, about 4 cm across Fruit: Yellow or reddish or purple, raspberry-like Underground Parts: Fibrous roots Habitat: Moist to wet (2:76) Use: Berries for food, branches for pipe stems, bark and leaves used of easing pain and cleansing, taken both externally and internally (1:35)
Mock-Orange (Philadelphus lewisii) Habit: Perennial shrub Size: 3 m tall Leaves: Opposite, deciduous, oval to egg-shaped Flowers: White, very fragrant, clusters Fruit: Oval, woody, 4-chambered capsules Underground Parts: Fibrous roots Habitat: Dry to moist, forest edges, open areas (2:96) Use: Wood is used for combs, netting shuttles, knitting needles; a soapy lather can be made from the leaves and flowers (1:32)
Red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) Habit: Erect perennial Size: 1-3 m tall Leaves: Alternate, deciduous Flowers: Rose colored, 7-10 mm long, in erect drooping clusters of 10-20 flowers Fruit: Blue-black round berries with glandular hairs and a white waxy bloom Underground Parts: Fibrous root Habitat: Dry open woods, disturbed sites, low to middle elevations (2:84). Use: Berries for food (1:32).
Mosses of Various Species Lichens of Various Species
Non-native: Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) Vetch - Unidentified
Other Features: Longhouse Sign – stepping stone in front of it to prevent people from cutting the corner Decorative Burl Lamp Post Sprinkler Heads – need to be camouflaged, but still functional Water Main Valve Access in 1'6" x 2' Concrete Slab – needs to be camouflaged, but accessible Steel-Plate Cover, 2' x 4' – needs to be camouflaged, but accessible
Building Entrance Area Plants: Native: Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum) Habit: Perennial Size: Up to 1.5 m tall Leaves: Stipe dry-scaly, blade lance-shaped, sharped-toothed Sori: Large, circular, centrally attached Underground Parts: Scaly rhizome Habitat: Moist forest (2:421) Use: Rhizome for food, leaves are used to line baking pits and drying racks, young leaves are chewed raw for sore throats and to facilitate childbirth, that water that rhizomes are boiled in can be used to relieve dandruff, spore sacs are placed on burns (1:13)
Trailing Blackberry (Rubus ursinus) Habit: Trailing perennial Size: 5 m or more in length Leaves: Alternate, deciduous, 3 leaflets Flowers: White or pink, up to 4 cm across Fruit: Black blackberries Underground Parts: Fibrous roots Habitat: disturbed sites, open areas (2:78) Use: Berries for food (1:36)
Cascara (Rhamnus purshiana) Habit: Tall shrub or tree, perennial Size: Up to 10 m tall Leaves: Alternate, egg-shaped to oblong Flowers: Greenish-yellow, umbrella-shaped clusters Fruit: Blue-black to purplish-black berries Underground Parts: Fibrous roots Habitat: Fairly dry to wet, shady, in mixed woods (2:90) Use: Berries for food, bark for green dye for wool, bark is a laxative (1:40)
Red Alder (Alnus rubra) Habit: Tree Size: Up to 25 m tall Leaves: Alternate, deciduous, broadly elliptic Flowers: Male and female in catkins, appear before leaves Fruit: Clusters of brownish cones, contain winged nutlets Underground Parts: Fibrous roots Habitat: Moist areas, low elevations (2:44) Use: None found
Salal (Gaultheria shallon) Habit: Creeping shrub, perennial Size: 0.02-5 m tall Leaves: Alternate, evergreen, leathery, oval-shaped Flowers: White or pinkish, urn shaped Fruit: Reddish-blue to dark purple berries Underground Parts: Fibrous roots Habitat: Coniferous forests, rocky bluffs, to the seashore (2:53) Use: Berries for food, leaves line cooking pits and drying areas, chewed leaves can be applied to sores and burns, tea from the leaves is made for coughs and tuberculosis, leaves are also used in smoking blends (1:43)
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) Habit: Perennial herb Size: 5-45 cm tall Leaves: Fern-like, alternate, pinnatlely dissected Flowers: Ray, white to sometimes pink to reddish, clusters Fruit: Hairless, flat achenes Underground Parts: Rhizomatous Habitat: Dry to moist, open sites (2:279) Use: Plant used in baths, leaves are soaked for a hair wash, raw leaves are eaten to produce sweating in childbirth, tea is used to purify the blood and to heal the uterus after childbirth, boiled roots tea is made for tuberculosis and for an eye wash, tea made from the leaves relieves diarrhea and body aches, a poultice can be made from the leaves for sores and rheumatic limbs (1:49)
Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) Habit: Perennial Size: Up to 25 cm tall Leaves: Basal, thick, leathery, strongly veined, coarsely toothed Flowers: White, up to 3.5 cm across, 5-7 petals Fruit: Small strawberry Underground Parts: Fibrous roots, hairy runners Habitat: Open forests (2:183) Use: Berries for food (1:36)
Vine Maple (Acer circinatum) Habit: Perennial shrub or small tree Size: Up to 7 m tall Leaves: Maple leaves, opposite, deciduous Flowers: White, clusters Fruit: Winged, 2-4 cm long Underground Parts: Fibrous roots Habitat: Moist to wet, generally under other trees in canopy openings or at forest edges (2:93) Use: Basketry, salmon tongs, baby cradles, fish traps (1:40)
Common Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) Habit: Perennial shrub Size: 0.5-2 m tall Leaves: Opposite, deciduous, elliptic to oval Flowers: Pink to white, bell-shaped Fruit: Clusters of white, berry-like drupes Underground Parts: Rhizomatous Habitat: Dry to moist, open areas (2:70) Use: Berries have been used to wash hair, bruised leaves are applied to cuts, drinking a tea made of the bark and roots for venereal disease or cold cure, bark is used for tuberculosis, the berries are used for an antidote for poisoning (1:48)
White Fawn Lily (Eruthronium oregonum) Habit: Perennial herb Size: Up to 30 cm tall Leaves: Basal, paired, mottled Flowers: White, nodding Fruit: Erect, broadly club-shaped capsules Underground Parts: Segmented corm Habitat: Well-drained open areas Use: None found
Herb-Robert (Geranium robertianum) Habit: Annual Size: 10-60 cm tall Leaves: Egg-shaped to pentagonal, pinnately deeply divided Flowers: Pink to reddish-purple, white striped Fruit: 5-parted capsules, 13-20 cm long Underground Parts: Taproot Habitat: Open areas, low elevations (2:316) Use: None found
Osoberry (Oemleria cerasiformis) Habit: Shrub or small tree, perennial Size: 1.5 – 5 m tall Leaves: Alternate, deciduous, cucumber-like smell Flowers: Greenish-white, hanging clusters, appear in later winter Fruit: Peach-colored, ripening to bluish-black, like small plums Underground Parts: Fibrous roots Habitat: Dry to moist, open areas (2:72) Use: Berries for food (1:37)
Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum) Habit: Delicate fern Size: 15-60 cm tall Leaves: Palmately branched; at right angles to the leaf stalk, oblong or fan-shaped Sori: Oblong, on the edges Underground Parts: Rhizomatous Habitat: Shady, humus-rich sites, moist soil, low to middle elevations (2:425) Use: Basketry, leaves are used for making hair tonic, chewed leaves are used for sore chest and stomach problems (1:14).
Deer Fern (Blechnum spicant) Habit: Tufted fern Size: 20-80 cm tall Leaves: Evergreen, 2 kinds, sterile leaves at the ground Sori: Continuous, distributed near the margin Underground Parts: Stout rhizome Habitat: Moist to wet forests (2:420) Use: Leaves are eaten for food in emergency, use the leaves to bake camas in, place fresh leaves on paralyzed parts of the body, green leaves chewed for upset stomach (1:15)
Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) Habit: Perennial Size: 0.8-3 m tall Leaves: Alternate, lance-shaped Flowers: Rose to purple, in long cluster atop stem Fruit: Pod-like capsules, splitting open to disgorge hundreds of fluffy, white seeds Underground Parts: Rhizome-like roots Habitat: Moist to fairly dry disturbed areas (2:206) Use: None found
Red-Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum) Habit: Erect perennial Size: 1-3 m tall Leaves: Alternate, deciduous Flowers: Rose colored, 7-10 mm long, in erect drooping clusters of 10-20 flowers Fruit: Blue-black round berries with glandular hairs and a white waxy bloom Underground Parts: Fibrous root Habitat: Dry open woods, disturbed sites, low to middle elevations (2:84). Uses: Berries for food (1:32).
Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) Habit: Perennial shrub Size: 4 m tall Leaves: Alternate, deciduous, 3 leaflets, sharply toothed Flowers: Pink to red to reddish-purple, about 4 cm across Fruit: Yellow or reddish or purple, raspberry-like Underground Parts: Fibrous roots Habitat: Moist to wet (2:76) Use: Berries for food, branches for pipe stems, bark and leaves used of easing pain and cleansing, taken both externally and internally (1:35)
Twinberry (Lonicera involucrata) Habit: Perennial shrub Size: 0.5-3 m tall Leaves: Opposite, elliptical to broadly lance-shaped Flowers: Yellow, tubular Fruit: Black "twin" berries, 2 pairs of deep-purplish-bracts Underground Parts: Fibrous roots Habitat: Moist forests and open areas (2:69) Use: Berry juice is used for a paint and for a dye, the leaves are chewed as an emetic when poisoned (1:48)
Rush – Unidentified
Non-native: Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) Himalayan Blackberry (Rubus discolor) Grasses of Various Species
Other Features: Garbage Can on 2' 4” Square Concrete Slab Useful, but unsightly – needs to be camouflaged (painted or taller plants) Garden Hose Useful, but we need to acquire a hose caddy Portable Sprinkler Store in the hose caddy? A path needs to be established to the spigot to prevent plant/soil damage
Citation: 1. Gunther, Erna. Ethnobotany of Western Washington: The Knowledge and Use of Indigenous Plants by Native Americans. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1973.
2. Mackinnon, Andy, and Jim Pojar. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Vancouver, British Columbia: Ministry of Forest and Lone Pine Publishing, 1994.
