Pacific Ninebark

This is another native, attractive flowering shrub that has a strange common name! Pacific Ninebark (Physocarpus capitatus) gets its name from the layered bark on its branches. It's a member of the Rose family and grows in moist areas such as stream banks, swales, and near lakes. The flowering clusters are about the size of a tennis ball and are made up of dozens of tiny white blooms. The leaves are maple like, or resemble small Thimbleberry leaves.

We spotted these plants at the Tualatin Hills Nature Park on 5/30/2013.