List of flora of Washington facts for kids

Washington state is home to many amazing plants! These plants are called native flora because they naturally grow here. They have been part of the Washington landscape for a very long time. This list helps us learn about some of these special plants. They are grouped by their plant families.

Exploring Washington's Native Plants

Washington's diverse landscapes, from mountains to coastlines, are filled with unique plants. These native plants are important for the local wildlife and the environment. They provide food and shelter for animals and help keep the ecosystems healthy.

Plant Families in Washington

Scientists group plants into families based on their shared features. Think of it like a big family tree! Here are some of the plant families you can find in Washington, along with a few examples of the plants that belong to them.

Adoxaceae Family

This family includes some well-known shrubs.

• Sambucus nigra — blue elderberry
• Sambucus racemosa — red elderberry
• Viburnum edule — high-bush cranberry
• Viburnum ellipticum — common viburnum
• Viburnum opulus — snowball viburnum

Asparagaceae Family

You might recognize some plants from this family, like asparagus!

• Asparagus officinalis — garden asparagus
• Brodiaea coronaria — bluedick brodiea
• Camassia quamash — common camas
• Camassia leichtlinii — large camas
• Dichelostemma congestum — ookow, northern saitas
• Maianthemum dilatatum — false lily-of-the-valley
• Maianthemum racemosum — feathery false lily-of-the-valley
• Maianthemum stellatum — starry false lily-of-the-valley
• Muscari armeniacum — garden grape-hyacinth
• Ornithogalum umbellatum — sleepydick
• Triteleia grandiflora — blue umber lily
• Triteleia hyacinthina — white triteleia

Athyriaceae Family

This family includes beautiful ferns.

• Athyrium filix-femina — common lady fern

Berberidaceae Family

This group has plants like the Oregon-grape.

• Achlys californica — vanillaleaf
• Achlys triphylla — vanillaleaf
• Berberis nervosa — dwarf Oregon-grape
• Mahonia aquifolium — Oregon-grape
• Vancouveria hexandra — white inside-out flower

Betulaceae Family

This family includes many types of alder and birch trees.

• Alnus incana — mountain alder
• Alnus rhombifolia — white alder
• Alnus rubra — red alder
• Alnus viridis — Siberian alder, Sitka alder, mountain alder
• Betula glandulosa — swamp birch
• Betula occidentalis — water birch, river birch
• Betula papyrifera — paper birch
• Betula pumila — bog birch, dwarf birch
• Corylus cornuta — California hazel, beaked hazel

Blechnaceae Family

Another fern family found in Washington.

• Blechnum spicant — deer fern

Boraginaceae Family

This family includes the Pacific waterleaf.

• Hydrophyllum tenuipes — Pacific waterleaf

Caprifoliaceae Family

Look for the snowberry in this group.

• Symphoricarpos albus — snowberry, waxberry

Cannabaceae Family

This family includes the western hackberry.

• Celtis reticulata — western hackberry/netleaf hackberry

Cornaceae Family

This family features dogwood trees.

• Cornus nuttallii — Pacific dogwood
• Cornus sericea — creek dogwood
• Cornus × unalaschkensis — western bunchberry

Cupressaceae Family

This family is home to many cone-bearing trees.

• Cupressus nootkatensis — Nootka cypress
• Juniperus communis — common juniper
• Juniperus maritima — seaside juniper
• Juniperus occidentalis — western juniper
• Juniperus scopulorum — Rocky Mountain juniper
• Thuja plicata — western redcedar

Cyperaceae Family

This family includes plants like the tule.

• Schoenoplectus acutus — tule

Dryopteridaceae Family

This family has the well-known western sword fern.

• Polystichum munitum — western sword fern

Ericaceae Family

This family is known for huckleberries and rhododendrons.

• Arbutus menziesii — Pacific madrona
• Arctostaphylos uva-ursi — kinnickinnick
• Gaultheria shallon — salal
• Rhododendron macrophyllum — Pacific rhododendron
• Vaccinium ovatum — evergreen huckleberry
• Vaccinium parvifolium — red huckleberry

Fagaceae Family

This family includes oaks and chinquapins.

• Chrysolepis chrysophylla — golden chinquapin
• Quercus garryana — Oregon white oak

Hydrangeaceae Family

This family includes the Lewis's mock-orange.

• Philadelphus lewisii — Lewis's mock-orange

Liliaceae Family

This family is known for beautiful lilies.

• Clintonia uniflora — bead lily, queen's cup
• Erythronium grandiflorum — yellow glacier lily
• Erythronium oregonum — white fawn lily
• Erythronium revolutum — pink fawn lily

Oleaceae Family

This family includes the Oregon ash tree.

• Fraxinus latifolia — Oregon ash

Orchidaceae Family

This family is famous for its unique orchids.

• Goodyera oblongifolia — rattlesnake plantain
• Cephalanthera austiniae — phantom orchid

Paeoniaceae Family

This family has the native peony.

• Paeonia brownii — native peony

Papaveraceae Family

This family includes the Pacific bleeding heart.

• Dicentra formosa — Pacific bleeding heart

Pinaceae Family

This is a large family of cone-bearing trees, like firs and pines.

• Abies amabilis — Pacific silver fir
• Abies grandis — grand fir
• Abies lasiocarpa — subalpine fir
• Abies procera — noble fir
• Larix lyallii — alpine larch
• Larix occidentalis — western larch
• Picea engelmannii — Engelmann spruce
• Picea glauca — white spruce, western white spruce
• Picea sitchensis — Sitka spruce
• Pinus albicaulis — whitebark pine
• Pinus contorta — lodgepole pine
• Pinus monticola — western white pine
• Pinus ponderosa — ponderosa pine
• Pseudotsuga menziesii — Douglas fir
• Tsuga heterophylla — western hemlock
• Tsuga mertensiana — mountain hemlock

Plantaginaceae Family

This family includes different types of penstemon.

• Penstemon acuminatus — sharpleaf penstemon
• Penstemon barrettiae — Barrett's beardtongue
• Penstemon cardwellii — T.J. Howell Cardwell's beardtongue
• Penstemon palmeri — Palmer's penstemon
• Penstemon rupicola — cliff beardtongue

Polypodiaceae Family

This family includes the licorice fern.

• Polypodium glycyrrhiza — licorice fern

Ranunculaceae Family

This family is known for buttercups and anemones.

• Actaea rubra — baneberry
• Anemone deltoidea — three-leaved anemone, Pacific white anemone, Columbian windflower
• Anemone multifida — cut-leaf anemone
• Aquilegia formosa — red columbine
• Caltha biflora — two-flowered marsh marigold
• Caltha leptosepala — white marsh marigold
• Coptis asplenifolia — fern-leaved goldthread
• Delphinium menziesii — Menzie's larkspur
• Pulsatilla occidentalis, syn. Anemone occidentalis — western anemone, white pasqueflower
• Ranunculus eschscholtzii — Eschscholtz's buttercup
• Ranunculus flammula — lesser spearwort, creeping spearwort, banewort
• Ranunculus occidentalis — western buttercup
• Ranunculus uncinatus — little buttercup
• Thalictrum occidentale — western meadowrue
• Trautvetteria caroliniensis — false bugbane
• Trollius laxus — globeflower

Rhamnaceae Family

This family includes the cascara buckthorn.

• Rhamnus purshiana — cascara buckthorn

Rosaceae Family

This large family includes many familiar plants like roses and berries.

• Amelanchier alnifolia — saskatoon, Pacific serviceberry
• Aruncus dioicus — goat's beard
• Geum calthifolium — caltha-leaved avens
• Geum macrophyllum — large-leaved avens
• Leutkea pectinata — partridgefoot
• Oemleria cerasiformis — osoberry
• Physocarpus capitatus — Pacific ninebark
• Potentilla anserina — silverweed
• Potentilla flabellifolia — fan-leaved cinquefoil
• Potentilla villosa — villous cinquefoil
• Rosa nutkana — Nootka rose
• Rubus parviflorus — thimbleberry
• Rubus spectabilis — salmonberry
• Rubus ursinus — trailing blackberry, California dewberry
• Sanguisorba canadensis — Sitka burnet
• Sanguisorba officinales — great burnet
• Sibbaldia procumbens — sibbaldia

Salicaceae Family

This family includes poplars and many types of willows.

• Populus tremuloides — quaking aspen
• Populus trichocarpa — black cottonwood
• Salix amygdaloides — peach-leaf willow
• Salix arctica — Arctic willow
• Salix barclayi — Barclay's willow
• Salix bebbiana — gray willow, Bebb's willow, long-beak willow
• Salix boothii — Booth's willow
• Salix brachycarpa — small-fruit willow
• Salix candida — sage willow
• Salix cascadensis — Cascade willow
• Salix columbiana — Columbia River willow
• Salix commutata — under-green willow
• Salix drummondiana — Drummond's willow
• Salix eastwoodiae — Sierra willow
• Salix exigua — narrow-leaf willow, coyote willow
• Salix farriae — Farr's willow
• Salix fragilis — crack willow
• Salix geyeriana — Geyer's willow
• Salix glauca — gray willow
• Salix hookeriana — coastal willow
• Salix lasiandra — Pacific willow
• Salix lasiolepis — arroyo willow
• Salix maccalliana — Maccalla's willow
• Salix melanopsis — dusky willow
• Salix monochroma — one-color willow
• Salix nivalis — dwarf snow willow
• Salix pedicellaris — bog willow
• Salix petrophila — alpine willow
• Salix planifolia — tea-leaved willow
• Salix prolixa — Mackenzie's willow
• Salix pseudomonticola — false mountain willow
• Salix scouleriana — Scouler's willow
• Salix sessilifolia — sessile-leaf willow
• Salix sitchensis — Sitka willow
• Salix tweedyi — Tweedy's willow
• Salix vestita — rock willow

Sapindaceae Family

This family includes different types of maple trees.

• Acer circinatum — vine maple
• Acer glabrum — Douglas maple
• Acer macrophyllum — big-leaf maple

Saxifragaceae Family

This family has a variety of interesting plants like saxifrages and foamflowers.

• Boykinia occidentalis — coast boykinia, western boykinia
• Chrysosplenium glechomifolium — Pacific golden saxifrage
• Heuchera glabra — smooth alumroot
• Heuchera micrantha — small-flowered alumroot
• Leptarrhena pyrolifolia — leatherleaf saxifrage
• Lithophragma parviflorum — small-flowered woodland star
• Micranthes ferruginea — Alaska saxifrage
• Micranthes occidentalis — western saxifrage
• Micranthes tolmiei — Tolmie's saxifrage
• Mitella breweri — brewer's mitrewort
• Mitella pentandra — five-stamened mitrewort
• Saxifraga bronchialis — spotted saxifrage, prickly saxifrage
• Saxifraga cespitosa — tufted saxifrage
• Saxifraga oppositifolia — purple mountain saxifrage
• Tellima grandiflora — fringecup
• Tiarella trifoliata — foamflower
• Tolmiea menziesii — piggy-back plant, youth-on-age

Taxaceae Family

This family includes the Pacific yew tree.

• Taxus brevifolia — Pacific yew

Tofieldiaceae Family

This family has the western false asphodel.

• Triantha occidentalis — western false asphodel

Zosteraceae Family

This family includes marine eelgrass, which grows in the ocean.

• Zostera marina — marine eelgrass

See also

• List of fauna of Washington (state)

Images for kids

• Holly-leaf Oregon-grape in Longmire, 61322. (386a6ebe-5c2-4c0d-b878-87eee1a4a483).jpg

  Holly-leaf Oregon-grape at Longmire, Mount Rainier National Park

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  Sword fern along the Carbon River Road on the slopes of Mt. Rainier.

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  Kinnikinnick or Bear berry in Bonney Lake, Washington.

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  Noble fir on Juniper Ridge Trail 261, Gifford Pinchot National Forest.