Wildflowers of the Pacific NorthwestOne of the most diverse regions of the country, both in climate and vegetation, is the Pacific Northwest. From mountain ranges and valleys to seacoasts and deserts, the vegetation of this area exhibits a great diversity of ecological habitats in response to variations in latitude, proximity to the ocean, rainfall, and temperature from east to west and north to south. Forests west of the Cascades, for instance, are moist coastal rainforests dominated by conifers, while forests east of the Cascades are more like the Rocky Mountains, with a mixture of conifers and deciduous trees. Woodland wildflowers, many of which are unique to this region, abound in the shady forests, while desert and grassland species thrive in the warm, dry conditions of the interior valleys. Coastal areas offer a completely different palette of wildflowers. This collection includes some of the most common wildflowers encountered in various habitats of the Pacific Northwest. |
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Scientific Name | Common Name | Duration | Habit | Sun | Water |
Aquilegia formosa | Western Columbine, Crimson Columbine, Scarlet Columbine, Red Columbine | Perennial | Herb | Sun, Part-shade | Moist, Dry |
Balsamorhiza hookeri | Hooker's Balsamroot, Hairy Balsamroot | Perennial | Herb | Sun | Dry |
Calochortus elegans | Elegant Mariposa Lily | Perennial | Herb | ||
Calochortus luteus | Yellow Mariposa Lily | Perennial | Herb | ||
Camassia quamash | Small Camas, Common Camass, Swamp Sego | Perennial | Herb | Sun | Moist |
Chamerion angustifolium ssp. angustifolium | Fireweed, Narrow-leaf Fireweed, Willow Herb | Perennial | Herb | Sun | Moist |
Chimaphila umbellata | Pipsissewa | Perennial | Subshrub | Shade | Dry |
Clarkia amoena | Farewell To Spring, Farewell-to-spring, Herald-of-summer | Annual | Herb | Part-shade | |
Cypripedium montanum | Mountain Lady's Slipper | Perennial | Herb | ||
Epipactis gigantea | Stream Orchid, Chatterbox Orchid, Giant Hellebore | Perennial | Herb | Shade, Part-shade | Wet, Moist |
Eriophorum angustifolium | Tall Cottongrass | Perennial | Grass/Grass-like | Sun | Wet |
Eriophyllum lanatum | Common Woolly Sunflower, Oregon Sunshine | Annual | Herb | Sun | Dry |
Erythronium grandiflorum | Yellow Avalanche-lily, Yellow Fawn-lily, Yellow Dogtooth Violet, Glacier Lily | Perennial | Herb | Part-shade | Moist |
Erythronium montanum | White Avalanche-lily, Avalanche-lily | Perennial | Herb | ||
Eschscholzia californica | California Poppy, California Gold Poppy | Annual | Herb | Sun | Dry |
Eurybia integrifolia | Thickstem Aster | Perennial | Herb | ||
Fritillaria affinis | Checker Lily, Chocolate Lily | Perennial | Herb | ||
Fritillaria pudica | Yellow Fritillary, Yellow Missionbells, Golden Bells | Perennial | Herb | Part-shade | Dry |
Iris douglasiana | Douglas Iris, Mountain Iris, Western Iris | Perennial | Herb | Part-shade | Moist |
Layia platyglossa | Coastal Tidytips | Annual | Herb | Sun | Dry |
Lilium columbianum | Columbia Lily, Columbian Lily, Oregon Lily, Wild Tiger Lily | Perennial | Herb | Part-shade | |
Lupinus bicolor | Miniature Lupine, Miniature Annual Lupine, Pygmy-leaved Lupine | Annual | Herb | Sun | |
Lupinus polyphyllus | Bigleaf Lupine, Blue-pod Lupine, Meadow Lupine, Bog Lupine | Perennial | Herb | Sun, Part-shade | Moist, Dry |
Lysichiton americanus | American Skunkcabbage, Yellow-skunk-cabbage, Swamp Lantern | Perennial | Herb | Part-shade | Wet |
Maianthemum racemosum | Feathery False Lily Of The Valley, False Solomon's Seal, Feathery False Solomon's Seal, False Spikenard, Solomon's Plume, Smilacina | Perennial | Herb | ||
Penstemon newberryi | Mountain Pride | Perennial | Herb, Subshrub | Part-shade | |
Penstemon procerus | Littleflower Penstemon, Littleflower Beardtongue | Perennial | Herb, Subshrub | Sun | Moist |
Phlox diffusa | Spreading Phlox, Mat Phlox | Perennial | Herb | Sun | Dry |
Phyllodoce empetriformis | Pink Mountain Heath, Pink Mountain Heather | Perennial | Shrub | Part-shade | Moist |
Ranunculus californicus | California Buttercup | Perennial | Herb | ||
Rhododendron macrophyllum | Pacific Rhododendron, California Rhododendron, California Rosebay, Red Rhododendron | Perennial | Shrub | Shade, Part-shade | Moist, Dry |
Xerophyllum tenax | Common Beargrass, Western Turkeybeard, Bear Lily, Pine Lily, Elk Grass, Squaw Grass, Beargrass, Turkeybeard | Perennial | Herb | Sun |