Common plant species of Seattle Parks 

(winter 2010)

by Mitch Piper

BIOL 476 Conservation Biology

Douglas-Fir- native•Up to 70 meters tall; branches spreading and drooping; bark thick, ridged and dark brown.•Needles flat, yellowish-green with pointed tips, 2-3 cm long; 1 groove on the top and two white bands of stomata on the bottom.•Where canopy cover is thick, large trees only have branches on the upper part of the tree.

Western Hemlock-native•Up to 60 meters tall with a narrow crown and drooping leader (top branch of the tree); downward sweeping branches with feathery foliage.•Bark is rough and grooved but not as thick and Douglas-fir; branches can occur under the canopy because this species is more shade tolerant than Douglas-fir.•Needles are short, flat and irregular in length; yellowish-green on top with two fine white lines of stomata on the underside.

Western Redcedar- native•Up to 60 meters tall; branches droop and then are up-turned like a “J” shape; bark is grey to reddish-brown with fibrous strips tearing off.•Leaves are awl shaped scales; looks like a flattened braid.

Pine trees (general)•Needles always in clusters, usually 2-5 long needles per cluster.•Bark is usually scaly

Spruce trees (general)•Large trees up to 70 meters tall; thin, reddish-brown bark breaking up into small scales.•Needles are stiff, sharp, and 4 sided.•The best way to ID is to grab the branch. If the needles can hurt you it’s probably a spruce.

Madrone- native•Small to medium sized tree up to 30 meters tall•Broad leafed, evergreen•Thin, peeling bark ; rich, brownish-red color; smooth trunk•Leaves alternate, oval, to 15 cm long; dark, shiny green above, pale whitish-green below.•Grows in dry areas like near ridge tops or cliffs, not in wet valleys.

SnagA snag is a dead tree that is still standing. When it falls over it will become “downed wood”.

Be careful not to confuse snags with deciduous trees. Snags have usually lost most or all of their branches and the bark peels off the trunk easily.

English Laurel- invasive•Tall, dense, spreading thicket-forming shrub or small tree to 30 ft tall, grows as either a single-trunked tree or a multi-stemmed shrub• Evergreen, dark leaves on top and pale underneath, thick, shiny, large (3 to 8 inches long), oblong, abruptly pointed at the tips, alternate on the stems, and have finely toothed edges and short leaf stalks.

English Holly- invasive•Large, dense, slow-growing, evergreen tree or shrub, 15 to 50 feet tall and up to 15 feet wide or more•Can grow as either a single-trunked tree or a multi-stemmed thicket•Leaves are thick, glossy, dark green and wavy, 1-3 inches long, alternate and simple Leaves usually have sharp, stout spines along edges although may be smooth on older branches

Dull Oregon Grape- native•Low, dense, evergreen, never more than a meter tall.•Opposite leaf arrangement, 9-19 leaflets; not as sharp and painful as holly.•Leaves have 3 central veins

Tall Oregon Grape- native•Similar to dull oregon grape but with only 5-9 leaflets.•Can grow 1-2 meters tall•Leaves have only 1 central vein

Salal- native•Can form creeping ground cover or grow erect, 0.5-5 meters tall.•Alternate, leathery evergreen leaves 5-10 cm long, sharply and finely toothed edges.

Salmon Berry-native•Forms dense thickets, up to 4 meters tall, deciduous.•Bark is shredding on larger branches; some have small thorns and are golden-brown•Found in wet places (valley floors, near streams, etc.)

Himalayan Blackberry-invasive•Erect or sprawling to form impenetrable thickets.•Arching stems armed with stout, sharp spines•Leaves in 5 leaflets, evergreen, green to purple above, whitish hairs underneath.

English Ivy-invasive•Evergreen climbing vine; can form short dense blanket covering all the forest floor.•Leaves are 3-5 lobed.•Can climb up and choke trees.

Sword Fern-native•Large (up to 1.5 meters) evergreen fern.•Lance shaped leaf, alternate leaflets attached by small petiole (leaf stalk).•Most common fern in Seattle parks.

Deer Fern- native•Smaller than sword fern, evergreen, found in moist to wet places•Leaflets fused directly to stem (no petiole)