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Published on Healing Gardens (http://www2.evergreen.edu/healinggardens)

Existing Plants/Materials Assesment


Decorative Areas

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.

Allyson Ruppenthal

Source URL:
http://www2.evergreen.edu/healinggardens/healinggardens/existing-plants-materials-assesment