Kinnikinnick

If you were not a local, you would not want to get this word if you were in a spelling bee! But as a resident of the Northwest, you've probably seen and heard this odd sounding plant name from time to time. And chances are you have seen Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) growing because it is a popular ground cover, being native and very hardy. It's also known as Bearberry and Mountain Tobacco, as well as at least a dozen other common names. According to one reference it is pronounced KINNY-kin-ICK, or Kinn-ICK-innick. I've always heard it as just kinnick-kinnick, which is probably the morphed,  easy-to-say version.

The odd name also describes an historical Native American smoking product, used by a host of tribes in the west and elsewhere. The Kinnikinnick leaves are mixed with other plants to make the smoking mixture. The plant is well documented by Meriwether Lewis, in 1805 (see link below). According to this reference, Lewis and Clark did not discover Kinnikinnick per se, but they did send samples to back to President Jefferson. It is thought that Johnathan Carter first noted the plant in the upper Mississippi valley in 1760.

Back in the present, we have a large swath of the stuff growing in our yard and it is blooming profusely this week. (3/30/2013). The tiny, pink, bell-shaped flowers are about 1/8 inch high. They hang in clusters, similar to Manzanita flowers, but smaller. In fact, Manzanita is in the same genus as Kinnikinnick.

The bright red fruits ripen in late summer and are described as mealy, tasteless, but edible, with large hard seeds! M. Lewis stated it was "a very tasteless and insippid fruit." Ok, no need to add this one to my summer berry menu! However, the fruits can last well into winter and are common food for bears, hence the ursi name.

Fruit photo courtesy Wikipedia

Links:

Native Plant Society

Smoking Mixture Reference

Bearberry Information

Lewis and Clark Notes

Indian Plum

These early-blooming shrubs are leafing out just about everywhere we've walked lately. We've seen them at Noble Woods, Rood Bridge, Jackson Bottom, Cooper Mountain, and even along our dog-walking route. Since they were forcefully calling out to us, I just had to create a dedicated post!

Around here, Indian Plum seems to be called Osoberry. Interestingly, Oemleria cerasiformis, is the only species in the Oemleria genus and is in the Rose family. It's native to the Pacific Coast area, as far south as Santa Barbara, CA. The shrub is typically 3 to 8 ft. tall. The greenish-white flowers are about 1/2 inch long and hang down from the branches in clusters.

In summer, the small fruits start out peach colored, but turn purple, like a plum as they ripen. Most references listed the fruit as edible but bitter with a large pit. It seems they were used by local indigenous peoples, mainly during festivities, dried and mixed with oils or other dried fruits. Bears are said to be among the animals that feed on the fruit as well. Oso is Spanish for bear, hence the name Osoberry. For the humans, tea and anesthetic were made from the ground up bark.

Another point of interest: the crushed leaves have a cucumber smell (try it, it's true!). The flowers are an important early blossom for bee survival and propagation of the plant. The plant cannot self-pollinate, so I suppose it is a good sign that we've seen so many of these blooming around the area! 3/25/2014

Red Flowering Currant

On March 26, 1806, Lewis and Clark noted the Red Flowering Currant shrub in their journals. It was blooming along the Cowlitz River in Washington, 208 years ago, just as it is now, here in Oregon (3/21/2014). I find these parallels to be one of the fascinating aspects of my wildflower hobby. I suppose it should be no surprise that nature is consistent over time, providing we humans don't break the system!

Red Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum) is a native, deciduous shrub that blooms in early Spring, throughout the lowlands of the Pacific Northwest. The blooms are named after the blood red color, that densely cover the shrub. The shrub is typically no more than about 9 ft. tall.

The resultant "currant" blue-black berry is frequently described as unpalatable, in contrast to the currants used in cooking today. What the heck are currants anyway? Most folks think of them as being a small grape-like fruit used in salads or for baking. The edible version of the currant berries actually come from a different, related shrub, Ribes rubrum and are most popular in Europe for jams and other culinary uses.

Archibald Menzies is regarded as the first European to discover Ribes sanguineum, which he did in 1793 during his voyage with Capt. George Vancouver.  However, it was David Douglas, the famous Scottish plant explorer, who introduced it into British commerce.  He found Ribes sanguineum growing near Fort Vancouver soon after his arrival in the spring of 1825.  He sent seeds back to England, and the new plants flowered in 1828 when they were a little over two years old. Interestingly, the Horticultural Society of England, who funded the Douglas expedition, considered this new, red flowering, acquisition to be sufficient justification for the cost of his entire three year expedition (about $660 at that time).

We found these shrubs blooming at Rood Bridge Park in Hillsboro during the week of 3/16 to 3/22. The new leaves emerge at the same time as the flowers.

Unopened flower cluster

Partially opened flower cluster

Fully opened cluster

Full shrub view. Note the emerging leaves as well.

Links:

National Geographic's Lewis and Clark Journal

Red Flowering Currant Page

Viola, it's Spring

In the shady woodland native plant world, nothing says Spring quite like two of my favorites: the Western Trillium and the wild violets. Sounds kind of like a new-age band name doesn't it! This year, we have seen these beauties in several natural areas here locally, so I thought I would do a short post to mark the moment!

The Western Trillium (Trillium ovatum) is also personally notable because it was the first post we did last year in kicking off this journal. You can read that post here.

Here's a couple of trillium photos taken this season (3/15/2014):

In the lower natural area at Jenkins Estate.

A newly blooming cluster at Jenkins Estate.

Violets are members of a huge family of plants that grow mostly in the temperate climates of the world. The genus, Viola, has an estimated 500 plus species! Several of these are native to the Northwest and you have probably seen them if you hike in the forest during Spring. Note that the "African Violets" sold in stores for indoor use are not really violets at all. They belong to a completely different family of warm climate plants.

The native Stream Violet (Viola glabella) is bright yellow and has a small 1/2 to 3/4 inch flower. It also has the telltale heart-shaped leaves that most Violas have. These plants do in fact grow near shady forest streams in the western valleys.

According to the American Violet Society, the flowers and leaves, in fresh or dried form, can be used in a host of culinary ways! Visit their website for more information.

Stream Violet in the lower natural area at Jenkins Estate

Unidentified violet under the Douglas Firs at Jenkins Estate

March Madness

March can be a real teaser month around here. It can be sunny and warm for a few days. Out come the shorts, hiking shoes, cameras, and maps. Then, wham, the jet stream moves and the next few days are cold and rainy here in the valley, with snow in the mountains! Although this year I must admit overall, it has been pretty mild and more favorable for us wildflower searchers. There are not many wild things blooming here in the western valleys yet, but I did see a few Western Trillium the other day.

Several of the local wildflower books and web sites give the start of the season as mid-March for the Eastern Columbia River Gorge. It tends to be warmer and drier out there, east of Hood River. So with that in mind, we waited for a sunny day and picked two short hikes to see what was happening there.

First stop is the Tom McCall Nature Preserve at Rowena, which is about 6 miles east of Hood River. It's about a two hour drive from our house and as we arrive the cool morning has warmed up a bit. We've been here several times before, but only in summer when it is mostly dry and all the plants are pretty much done blooming. The views are nice any time of year, both east and west. It's a week-day, so there are only two other cars in the parking area.

It can be quite windy in this area, but today, thankfully, there is none. There are a few short loop trails out to the cliffs that overlook the river so I head out with camera in tow. The trails and ground are still a bit damp from recent rain. Several small seasonal ponds hold trapped water.

Looking northeast at Lyle from Rowena

Grass Widows on the Rowena Plateau

Two larger ponds seem to be year around features and may be spring fed. Many oak trees grow around these ponds, but at this date they have no leaves.

Large pond on Rowena. Oaks and shrubs still leafless.

After walking all over Rowena, it was time for lunch and coffee at the viewpoint, located just across the road from the preserve. While there I chatted with a couple of cyclists who were riding from Hood River. From here I took the historic highway 30 another six miles east to The Dalles. It's a nice drive and I see why the bikers like it! In the Dalles, we cross the Columbia and turn back west and head for the Lyle Cherry Orchard trailhead, about 10 minutes down the road. 

At this trailhead, only three other cars are in the lot - ah the joys of weekday hikes! The trail gains about 1000 feet in the first mile, through a small gorge of oaks and rocks, going up the mesa with many long switchbacks. The river view to the east is picture-perfect and with no wind the river is like glass! 

About 1/3 of the way up, looking east.

About 1/2 way up.

Near the high point, looking west. Rowena plateau at left, across river.

The oaks up on the plateau are old, but short and weather-beaten. They have no leaves at this point. I follow the winding trail another mile but don't see any new wildflowers.

Here's a run-down of the wildflowers seen on the two locations:

Grass Widow (Olsynium douglassii)

The first thing we notice are the Grass Widows popping up everywhere we look. These intensely purple native flowers are often the first bloomers out here. There are huge swaths of them in the damp areas along the trail. Each bloom is about an inch wide with six petals. Most were seen at Rowena on this outing.

See the separate post on Grass Widows.

Yellow Bells (Fritillaria pudica)

These native flowers are smaller than the Grass Widows and do actually resemble tiny, half-inch bells that hang down from their stalks. Friitillaria is a member of the Lily family and includes about 100 other species, several of which also grow naturally in the Columbia Gorge. Just a few seen at both Rowena and Lyle.

At Rowena

At Lyle

Spring Gold (Crocidium multicaule)

These small annuals are, not surprisingly, members of the sunflower family. They are also called Gold Stars and are another early blooming plant, capable of spreading over entire hillsides. We saw these at Rowena and Lyle.

Columbia Desert Parsley (Lomatium columbianum)

Another member of the Carrot family and the leaves somewhat resemble your garden variety parsley. The showy purple blooms open to an umbrella shape up to 3 inches across. These were new to me and I was struck by the nice contrast between the gray-green leaves and deep purple flowers. Columbia Desert Parsley is endemic to Oregon and Washington, so it's a real native! We saw most of these blooming at Lyle.

Smooth Desert Parsley

The leaves on this parsley are greener than the Columbia one above. The bright yellow flowers were just barely starting to open along the Lyle Cherry Orchard trail.

And last but not least, here is why many trailheads now have those boot brushes available for you. This is a Filaree or Stork's Bill (Erodium cicutarium), is a native of Eurasia, and now invades most of North America. It was growing right along the cherry orchard trail.

It's a member of the Geranium family!

Grass Widow

This handsome native purple wildflower is often among the first to bloom in March. Large colonies of Grass Widow (Olsynium douglasii)  can cover damp grassy areas that will completely dry up in the summer. They grow about six inches high, with blooms that are about an inch across. They can be widespread, growing in nearly every county in Oregon!

These colorful plants are members of the Iris (Iridaceae) family and are usually associated with oak woodlands. They can form large colonies, given the right conditions. At Rowena there were multiple colonies spread all over mounds and flat areas.

As to the common name, Grass Widow, I scoured the Internet to find the history. There are a couple of persistent tales, or possible theories given to the name. Both are rather sexist though, so suffice to say the name may have something to do with an abandoned mistress. I couldn't quite follow the logic of these accounts. There are two other varieties known in Oregon, but the most common ones shown here are named after David Douglas, the explorer who spent a few years traveling around the Northwest in the early 1800's.

We found abundant Grass Widows blooming on the Rowena Plateau, at the Tom McCall Nature Preserve (3/13/2014), and some across the river along the Lyle Cherry Orchard hike.

On the Rowena Plateau

There are typically on or two flowers per stalk.

Looking east, along the edge of the plateau.

Among the thousands of others, here's one without pigment.!

A solo widow in the rocks.

On the Cherry Orchard trail in WA.

Red Dead Nettle

In March, we try to get out for a walk with the dog whenever the weather here in western Oregon is good (i.e., not raining)! Today, the first day of daylight savings time, we saw a dry, warm (62 degrees) afternoon, so off we went. As I was walking by our neighbor's last year's garden plot I noticed a fine carpet of purple plants sticking up about five inches out of the tilled ground.

This caught my eye, so after the walk I came back to take a closer look. Well it was an easy ID time because these Red Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum) are very distinctive looking and tend to grow in moist, disturbed areas. The purple and green heart shaped, mint-like leaves and the tiny purple flowers are unique.

These plants are quite hardy and can bloom any time during the year, even in mild winters. Although called nettles, the leaves do not produce a toxic venom as does the Stinging Nettle. True nettles are in the Urtica genus, which is not related to Lamium (Mint family). Hence the name "dead" nettle, meaning no sting!

Red Dead Nettle is native to Europe and Asia, and is considered an invasive weed in some areas of North America. I found several references stating that it is good in salad or as a tea for the treatment of internal and external bleeding. Just make sure the plants have not been sprayed with weed killers!

Winter Speedwell

Here's another (late) winter blooming wildflower that has shown itself recently in early March, 2014.

Last October I posted about a tiny blue flower called American Speedwell. Today's post is about one of the other Speedwells, with a very similar small blue flower. Winter Speedwell (Veronica persica) is also called Bird's Eye and Persian Speedwell and grows in nearly every state. In some areas it is regarded as a weed. But then as Ralph Waldo Emerson said,

“WHAT IS A WEED? A PLANT WHOSE VIRTUES HAVE YET TO BE DISCOVERED.”

Winter Speedwell blooms in late winter in our area but can be hard to spot due to its small size. We found a few growing just off our gravel road, on a southern exposed berm. The colorful blue flowers have four petals and are only about 1 cm wide.

The name is derived from the story about a young girl (later canonized as St. Veronica) who wiped Jesus Christ’s face with Speedwell flowers on his journey to Calvary. As the story goes, healing properties were then absorbed by the plant. 

I found a few references to using Speedwell as an herbal tea expectorant, but it was not clear as to which exact species, so don't go boiling this one; stick to your favorite Stash tea!

Photo taken March 3, 2014

Photo taken March 3, 2014

Winter Aconite

Our weather forecasters here in the lowlands of western Oregon are saying that Winter is pretty much over - and that of course is music to my ears! That means the wildflower exploration season is starting to roll. A trip to Jenkins Estate supports this notion, so I'll once again be keeping the camera and trail gear handy.

Last Fall, we admired the large colonies of Wild Hardy Cyclamen growing under the old growth conifers, behind the main house. Now, in the third week of February, the Snowdrops and and a web of yellow blossoms got our attention.

Apparently this colorful ground cover is often one of the first to show itself in late Winter or early Spring. I had never seen it before taking the photos below, but to me the leaves resembled our creeping buttercups we see later in Spring. It took a couple of weeks, several emails and calls to the grounds keepers to determine that Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) is the identity of this mystery plant; and it is indeed a member of the Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae).  It is native to southern Europe but has been naturalized in most of the U.S. It grows from tubers and thrives is moist, but sunny areas common under deciduous trees before their leaves appear. Hyemalis means "winter-flowering."

The common name is misleading in that a very different, unrelated plant called Aconite (or Monkshood in our area) shares the same name. This Aconite (Actonium napellus) has a blue flower on stalks and is extremely poisonous!

We found these blooming (3/01/2014) at Jenkins Estate, near the koi ponds behind the main house.

Fully opened flower is about 1.5 inches across.

Leaves are about 2 - 2.5 inches across.

These have been here for a while.

Witch-Hazel

If you run an internet search for Witch-Hazel, all kinds of interesting things pop up! And if you have lived around Hillsboro for a while, then you know there is a Witch-Hazel Elementary School in town. According to Wikipedia, the area where the old school was located was an unincorporated area of Washington County, called Witch Hazel, after a race horse. See the link below for more on the history of this area.

Most old people have heard of Witch-Hazel, the liquid astringent sold in stores since before there were drug strores. It is said to be better than rubbing alcohol for external scrapes and maladies - I have never tried it myself, but it has been around since Native Americans shared it with the colonists in the 1600's. These products are derived from the leaves and bark of the Witch Hazel shrub (Hamamelis). See the link below for more Witch-Hazel uses.

There are three species of Hamamelis that grow in North America. They are deciduous shrubs that are unique in that their flowers bloom from the prior year's fruit. You can see that in the photos below. The genus name comes from the Latin word for "together with fruit."

I spotted two of these shrubs blooming at Jenkins Estate (2/21/2014) - one yellow and the other orange. The first, Homamelis virginiana, is native to the Northeastern U.S., and the second is native to China and is widely planted as a garden ornamental that blooms in winter. The blooms remind me of Medusa, the Greek goddess, that would turn you into stone if you looked at her. Could be why I have never tried the astringent...

Hamamelis virginiana

Hamamelis virginiana

Hamamelis mollis

Hamamelis mollis

You can get this for only $2.99!

Witch Hazel Plant

Witch Hazel Area History

Witch Hazel Astringent History

Witch Hazel Astringent Uses