Pacific Northwest Natives

1)   Berberis aquifolium, formerly known as Mahonia aquifolium                                                                                                                                                                       Tall Oregon Grape

Annie Bilotta

• Native to the Pacific Northwest from British Columbia to northern California.
• Its yellow flowers in April smell like honey and attract hummingbirds and insect pollinators.
• Blue-black berries are edible and are used to make jam and juice. Pacific Northwest aboriginal peoples used the bark and roots to make a yellow dye.
• Can be found in Goodfellow Grove.

2)   Prosartes smithii, formerly known as Disporum smithii                                                                                                                                                                               Smith’s Fairy Bells

Annie Bilotta

• Native to the Pacific Northwest from Vancouver Island to California.
• White bell-shaped flowers in spring followed by attractive orange-red berries.
• Can be found along the north side of Merrill Hall.

3)   Morella californica, formerly known as Myrica californica                                                                                                                                                                          Pacific Wax Myrtle

Annie Bilotta

• Native to the Pacific Northwest from Vancouver Island to southern California.
• Small black berries in late summer provide food for birds.
• Can be found in the shrub border at the northern edge of the Douglas Hall parking lot.

4)   Amelanchier grandiflora                                                                       Serviceberry

Annie Bilotta

• A hybrid between two native Serviceberries, Amelanchier arborea (Downy Serviceberry) and Amelanchier laevis (Alleghany Serviceberry). Planted due to their resemblance to our native species, Amelanchier alnifolia, which was unavailable at large sizes in the nursery trade at the time of planting in the late 1980s.
• White flowers in the spring produce tasty blue berries.
• Beautiful orange-red color foliage in the fall.
• There is a grove of these in Goodfellow Grove.

5)   Ribes sanguineum                                                                               Red Flowering Currant

Annie Bilotta

• Native to the Pacific Northwest from British Columbia to northern California.
• Pale pink to deep red flowers attract hummingbirds.
• Fruit is edible, but taste is described as “insipid”.
• Located in Goodfellow Grove and at the southeastern corner of the Douglas Hall parking lot.