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OregonFlora The mission of the Oregon Flora Project is to serve as a comprehensive resource for the vascular pla

It's Autumn Leaf Color Time! You may not be able to travel to SE Oregon to see the aspen color this year, but there are...
10/09/2026

It's Autumn Leaf Color Time! You may not be able to travel to SE Oregon to see the aspen color this year, but there are plenty of other places to see the leaves changing color!

Asters (multiple genera) are one of the Pacific Northwest's late-blooming wildflowers. Many are available for planting ...
10/07/2026

Asters (multiple genera) are one of the Pacific Northwest's late-blooming wildflowers. Many are available for planting in our backyard habitats, and thus are great for keeping our late summer into fall insect pollinators happy.

One such native aster is Hall's aster (Symphyotrichum hallii). With its graceful and often massed structure and white ray flowers, it is can be a nice addition to the sunny wildflower garden. It can be found in meadows and forest openings throughout the Willamette Valley and sporadically south towards Grants Pass. It is a rare species in SW Washington.

Several native plant nurseries carry it, though you might have to call around to find plants that are available for purchase.

The attached image shows Hall's aster as photographed by Gerald D. Carr on August 2, 2008 at the Willow Creek Nature Conservancy Preserve in Eugene.

To view additional images, a range map and a brief written description of this lovely plant, please visit OrwegonFlora at:

https://oregonflora.org/taxa/index.php?taxon=8714

Sundews, members of the genus Drosera, are one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants on earth. The latin name Dro...
09/25/2026

Sundews, members of the genus Drosera, are one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants on earth. The latin name Drosera derives from the greek language meaning "dew" or "dewdrops", referring to the sparkly glands at the tips of the numerous stalks on the leaves. The English word sundew refers to the "dew of the sun".

Sundew leaves are covered with numerous stalked mucilaginous glands which can capture and digest insects and other small animals that are trapped on the leaves. Once trapped, the leaves fold and wrapped themselves (at least partially) around their victim and release digestive enzymes. Nutrients released from the vicitims are absorbed into the leaves and supplement those absorbed from the mineral-poor soil of their swampy habitats.

Oregon and Washington both have 3 species of sundews: English sundew (Drosera anglica), hybrid sundew (Drosera x obovata) and round-leaf sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) shown here.

The attached image of round-leaf sundew was taken by Gerald D. Carr on July 10, 2007 at Gordon Meadows in Linn County, OR.

To view additional images, a brief written description, and a range map of round-leaf sundew, please visit OregonFlora at:

https://oregonflora.org/taxa/index.php?taxon=4654

Pygmy gentian (Gentiana prostrata var. prostrata) is a tiny, annual wildflower that is rare in Oregon. Also known as mo...
09/21/2026

Pygmy gentian (Gentiana prostrata var. prostrata) is a tiny, annual wildflower that is rare in Oregon. Also known as moss gentian, it grows at most to 2" high, usually with a single, leafy stem, though the spoon-shaped leaves are small and barely spreading from the axis of the stem. It grows in moist montane meadows above 6500' and in Oregon is only found on the Steens Mountain. Image by John C. Game on July 20, 2018 from Colorado.

To see additional images of moss gentian, please visit OregonFlora at:

https://oregonflora.org/taxa/index.php?taxon=5310

FYI: There had been a request to federally list the tall western penstemon (Penstemon hesperius) under the Endangered S...
09/16/2026

FYI: There had been a request to federally list the tall western penstemon (Penstemon hesperius) under the Endangered Specis Act. Here is the recent federal response:

"Tall western penstemon not federally listed
Penstemon hesperius

On September 4th, 2026, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) published a 12-month finding determining that tall western penstemon (Penstemon hesperius) is not warranted for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act. The finding responds to a December 2020 petition from the Center for Biological Diversity and the Native Plant Society of Oregon, which cleared the 90-day substantial-information threshold in October 2022.

The conclusion rests largely on the continuation of protection, management, and recovery efforts for the species. Every recognized population occurs on protected land actively managed for wet prairie habitat based on resource management plans that address the species' principal threats through herbicide treatment of invasive plants, woody vegetation removal, mowing, and prescribed fire. Sustained propagation and reintroduction efforts have expanded the species from a single rediscovered occurrence in 2008 to 21 populations, including nine new sites planted in 2025. The USFWS found the Washington unit (a single small, genetically isolated population) is at risk but not a significant portion of the range, and concluded the species is neither at risk of extinction (endangered) nor likely to become so within the foreseeable future.

The federal finding does not change the species' listing status by the State of Oregon, which designated tall western penstemon as endangered under the Oregon Endangered Species Act (ORS 564.100–564.135) in 2024. Protection and permitting requirements administered by the Oregon Department of Agriculture under OAR 603-073 continue to apply, including the requirement that state agencies and non-federal public land managers consult with ODA on actions affecting listed plants on state-owned or state-leased lands (see ODA’s permit website more details).

The USFWS conclusion depends on the continuation of the conservation work now underway—habitat management, augmentation, reintroduction, and seed banking—rather than on the species being secure absent that effort. ODA will continue to coordinate with the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, Metro (Oregon regional government), and partner nurseries on population monitoring and establishment, and encourages anyone with new occurrence, demographic, or threat information to submit it to both ODA and the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office."

Photo by Gabe Campbell, Multnomah County....May 30, 2024.

As we come to the end of summer, river and pond levels across western Oregon are near their lowest levels and riparian s...
09/15/2026

As we come to the end of summer, river and pond levels across western Oregon are near their lowest levels and riparian species that spend much of the year underwater are now making an appearance. One such attractive native species is the wapato (Sagittaria latifolia) which can be foundalong the edges of streams and lakes, pools, and ditches. It is most common in riparian zones with slow water across western Oregon and Washington, but can be found in similar habitats in central and eastern Oregon.

Much of its historical habitat has been developed but efforts are underway to restore fallow, disturbed habitats where it once was found to conditions which enable its growth as it was an important food source for local native peoples and was also an important source of food for some of our larger pond birds like swans.

The attached image was taken by Gerald D. Carr on September 2, 2009 along the shore of Mirror Lake at Rooster Rock State Park.

Wapato a useful plant for native pond gardens and large containers and is available at some native plant nurseries. Click the link below to view the fact sheet for gardening with wapato on the OregonFlora Gardening with Natives website:

https://oregonflora.org/taxa/garden.php?taxon=8027

The coyote brush, aka chaparral broom (Baccharis pilularis) is an evergreen shrub found along the Oregon coast and inlan...
09/06/2026

The coyote brush, aka chaparral broom (Baccharis pilularis) is an evergreen shrub found along the Oregon coast and inland to the east slope of the Coast Range. It can also be found as far east as central and eastern Douglas and Lane Counties. Plants can grow as high as 15' high and 9' wide though commonly they are much smaller.

The species is typically found on well-drained soils including gravels or rocky soils, but can also tolerate moist clay soils. It has a preference for open areas and generally requires a minimum of summer water. Bloom period ranges from June to December, but seems to be concentrated in the second half of that period, so it is a great fall pollinator plant. Note that this species is dioecious, having imperfect flowers with the staminate and pistiillate flowers on different plants.

Image of a honeybee on a coyote brush at the Hatifield Marine Science Center in Newport, OR..........October 7, 2009.

For additional gardening information about coyote brush and potential nurseries which may have it in stock, please visit OregonFlora at:

https://oregonflora.org/taxa/garden.php?taxon=3212

Elkweed, aka monument plant (Frasera speciosa) in grasslands at +9000' at the head of Kiger Gorge, Steens Mountain in SE...
08/31/2026

Elkweed, aka monument plant (Frasera speciosa) in grasslands at +9000' at the head of Kiger Gorge, Steens Mountain in SE Oregon. July 11, 2004. Graceful cinquefoil (Potentilla gracilis) and tall pussytoes (Antennaria anaphaloides) are the larger plants around the monument plant.

Monument plants are perennial herbs found on open slopes, in forest openings and in grasslands from mid-elevation up into the alpine zone primarily east of the Cascades although it can also be found in the Siskiyous. The 1-2 meter high stems rise from a basal cluster of lanceolate-shaped leaves with numerous stem leaves and many beautifully lined and spotted flowers. Each flower has 4 petals.

To view additional images of elkweed, please visit OregonFlora at:

https://oregonflora.org/taxa/index.php?taxon=5212

Silky raillardella (Raillardella argentea) is a cute, petite wildflower found in the Cascade Mountains from sites west o...
08/29/2026

Silky raillardella (Raillardella argentea) is a cute, petite wildflower found in the Cascade Mountains from sites west of Bend, OR south into Northern California. It's also found along the Siskiyou Crest southwest of Ashland and in the North Warner Mountains SE of Lakeview.

Plants range from 3 to 15 cm high with single, leafless scapes rising from a cluster of basal leaves which are oblanceolate with acute tips and covered with gray to silvery, silky hairs.

The species is found on dry, open, gravelly sites in conifer forests, semi-barren subalpine and alpine slopes and flats between the elevations of 1500–2800 m. They bloom from July through September.

The image was taken by Norm Jensen in Crater Lake National Park.

To see additional images and information about this interesting wildflower, please visit OregonFlora at:

https://oregonflora.org/taxa/index.php?taxon=7782

Sulphur-flower buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum) shows quite a lot of diversity across the state of Oregon. Last time I ...
08/21/2026

Sulphur-flower buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum) shows quite a lot of diversity across the state of Oregon. Last time I checked, there were 15 varieties of this beautiful species found within the state. Some have a widespread distribution from the Cascades and Siskiyou Mountains eastward while others are found in a handful of places.

One variety of sulphur-flower buckwheat that’s a bit different than its brethren is the bicolor sulphur flower (variety dicrocephalum) which has cream-colored flowers which age to red, making for an interesting sight. It can be found on rocky ridges from the Ochoco to the Strawberry Mountains and southward into Klamath, Lake, Harney and Malheur counties.

Image taken on gravelly soils near the East Rim Viewpoint, Steens Mountain, September 1, 2011.

If you’d like to learn more about this pretty wildflower (and see its garden fact sheet), please visit OregonFlora at:

https://oregonflora.org/taxa/index.php?taxon=13107

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