11 Native Plants in Washington

Written by Jeremiah Wright
Updated: August 7, 2023
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Washington is known as the Evergreen State and leads the country’s lumber production. Befitting its name, the state is rich in white pine, spruce, ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, hemlock, cedar, and larch trees. At the same time, the state ranks high in apple, apricot, pear, grape, asparagus, lentil, and potato production.

Washington is a state of flora. Naturally, it is helped by its temperate climate — the eastern part of the state enjoys a semi-arid climate. In contrast, its western side is a cool oceanic one.

On top of that, roughly half of Washington is covered in forests. The state is overall known for its vast flora — sagebrush, tumbleweeds, Russian olive trees, and many more species have their home here.

In the following lines, you’ll find out more about the state’s native plants. Let’s dive in!

What Is a Native Plant?

A native plant is a species that has lived naturally in a region or area for thousands of years and is now essentially part of the surrounding ecosystem. In contrast to introduced plants, indigenous ones have developed and adapted according to the region’s climate, soil, and light conditions, to name a few.

In short, native plants have had their home in a certain area for quite a long time!

Discover 11 Native Plants in Washington

Infographic of 11 Native Plants in Washington
Fairy Slipper, Great Camas, and White Pasqueflower are native to Washington.

1. Common Yarrow

Multiple common yarrow in bloom close-up with selective focus

The common yarrow is commonly known as the devil’s nettle, old man’s pepper, or the soldier’s woundwort.

©iStock.com/Silviu Carol Cenusa

Common Yarrow
Scientific nameAchillea millefolium
Type of plantPerennial
DistributionNorth America, Europe, Asia, mainly the Northern Hemisphere

The common yarrow is commonly known as the devil’s nettle, old man’s pepper, or the soldier’s woundwort, among many other names. It is a plant native to the world’s temperate regions of North America, Europe, and Asia.

This is a perennial plant whose roots produce several stems that can grow between 8 and 40 inches (0.2-1 meters) tall. Its leaves can grow up to 2-8 inches (5-20 centimeters) long and are either tripinnate or bipinnate. The flowers of the common yarrow are ray- or disc-type flowers organized in a cluster.

2. Yellow Sand Verbena

Beach, Beauty, Blossom, Botany, Bright
Abronia latifolia

is known as the coastal or yellow sand verbena.

©iStock.com/Sundry Photography

Yellow Sand Verbena
Scientific nameAbronia latifolia
Type of plantVerbena
DistributionNorth America’s west coast

Abronia latifolia is known as the coastal or yellow sand verbena. Its scientific name can also experience some variation, with the naming Abronia arenaria often being used. The plant is common in Oregon, California, and Washington, as well as in British Columbia.

The main characteristic of the plant is its bright yellow cluster of flowers. However, they are more than just flowers — they bear no petals. Instead, they feature bracts (these are the yellow elements) that are clumped together and form the plant’s calyx.

3. Western Mountain Heather

Blossom, Canada, Close-up, Drop, Evergreen Plant

Western mountain heather is more commonly known as the white mountain heather.

©iStock.com/Jeremy Christensen

Western Mountain Heather
Scientific nameCassiope mertensiana
Type of plantShrub
DistributionWestern North America (subalpine areas)

Western mountain heather is more commonly known as the white mountain heather — the former name is a rarely used one. The plant grows in the subalpine regions of the western part of North America.

Cassiope mertensiana is a rather small shrub with branches that form patches while growing. The plant is characterized by scalelike leaves and stunning, bell-shaped flowers attached to red pedicels. It is usually found in rocky crevices.

4. Red Baneberry

Actaea Rubra

Red baneberry specimens usually grow up to 16-31 inches tall.

©HHelene/Shutterstock.com

Red Baneberry
Scientific nameActaea rubra
Type of plantPerennial
DistributionNorth America

The red baneberry, also known as chinaberry, is a native North American plant. It is known for being poisonous!

Red baneberry specimens usually grow up to 16-31 inches (40-80 cm) tall. The plant is characterized by variety. Namely, it can develop three compound leaves and one flowering stalk or three separate leaves that branch near the top of the plant. If you’re purposely hunting this plant, you should look for the two variations!

Actaea rubra flowers grow in clusters on branched stems. Each flower has about 3-5 obovate sepals that mimic petals.

5. Fairy Slipper

Fairy Slipper

The fairy slipper is often called the calypso orchid or Venus’s slipper, mainly thanks to the shape of its flower.

©jennifer dahlen/Shutterstock.com

Fairy Slipper
Scientific nameCalypso bulbosa
Type of plantPerennial
DistributionNorthern United States, Scandinavia, Russia, Mongolia, Korea, Japan, China

Calypso bulbosa is an orchid part of the Calypso genus (it contains a single species, namely the one in question here). The fairy slipper is often called the calypso orchid or Venus’s slipper, mainly thanks to the shape of its flower.

The plant usually grows up to 3.1-7.8 inches (8-20 cm) tall. It is known for having a single leaf located at the plant’s bottom, stalked up to roughly 2.7 inches (7 cm) long. A leaf can grow to about 2.3 inches (6 cm) long and 1.9 inches (5 cm) wide.

The fairy slipper features a red, pinkish, purple, or pink flower with a white lip, a yellow beard, and dark purple spottings. You can’t miss it!

6. Western Serviceberry

Amelanchier alnifolia

The western serviceberry is also called Saskatoon berry, western shadbush, and even western juneberry.

©Iva Vagnerova/Shutterstock.com

Western Serviceberry
Scientific nameAmelanchier alnifolia
Type of plantDeciduous
DistributionNorth America

The western serviceberry is also called Saskatoon berry, western shadbush, and even western juneberry, among a few other names. The plant is native to North America and, luckily for some plant enthusiasts, is equipped with edible fruit.

Amelanchier alnifolia is a shrub that can grow as tall as 3-26 feet (1-8 m). However, it can sometimes reach heights of about 33 feet (10 m). Its pure white flowers feature five separate petals and just as many sepals that grow up to 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) in diameter. They are gathered on racemes in numbers as low as three or as high as 20.

7. Great Camas

Amelanchier alnifolia

The great camas features long and narrow leaves.

©Nick Pecker/Shutterstock.com

Great Camas
Scientific nameCamassia leichtlinii
Type of plantPerennial
DistributionWestern North America

Called great or large camas, Camassia leichtlinii is part of the Camassia genus of hyacinths. The plant is native to western North America and is close to being at risk in terms of its conservation status.

The great camas can grow up to 24-48 inches (61-122 cm) tall and features long and narrow leaves. The plant can be easily identified by its deep blue-purple flowers, which grow in the form of a spike-like cluster that sits on a stem without leaves.

8. Rayless Arnica

Arnica discoidea

The rayless arnica is a member of the sunflower family.

©Diminutive Clicks/Shutterstock.com

Rayless Arnica
Scientific nameArnica discoidea
Type of plantPerennial
DistributionWestern United States

The rayless arnica is a member of the sunflower family. However, as its name suggests, it doesn’t feature any rays after reaching maturity — the flower head has only disc florets, which sometimes resemble ray florets. The plant can be commonly found throughout Washington, California, and Oregon.

Arnica discoidea features a tall 7.8-23.6 inches (20-60 cm) stem covered in hair. It is characterized by an inflorescence riddled with flower heads also covered in hairs. Contrary to expectations, the rayless arnica does produce fruit!

The fruit of Arnica discoidea is incredibly small at about ¼ inch (7 mm) long.

9. Western Wood Anemone

Western Wood Anemone

The western wood anemone usually grows up to 2-12 inches.

©RP designs/Shutterstock.com

Western Wood Anemone
Scientific nameAnemonoides oregana
Type of plantPerennial
DistributionWashington, Oregon, northern California

Commonly known as the Oregon anemone or blue windflower, the western wood anemone is part of the buttercup family. Thanks to its bright purple flowers, you can easily spot it in Washington’s forests – although the plant’s size can make things a bit difficult.

The flower cluster is characterized by three bracts resembling leaves and a single flower’s presence. The latter doesn’t have any petals and is instead equipped with blue or purple sepals (about 5-7 of them). In rare cases, the sepals can be white, pink, red, or bicolored. The western wood anemone usually grows up to 2-12 inches (50-300 mm) but can sometimes reach about 14 inches (350 mm) tall.

10. White Pasqueflower

White Pasqueflower

The white pasqueflower is also called the western pasqueflower.

©Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock.com

White Pasqueflower
Scientific nameAnemone occidentalis
Type of plantHerbaceous
DistributionWestern North America

The white pasqueflower is also called the western pasqueflower and is part of the Ranunculaceae family (buttercup family, just as the previous plant). A white pasqueflower specimen usually grows up to 3.9-23.6 inches (10-60 cm) tall.

Its main characteristic is the fruit it bears, named achene. The fruit of the white pasqueflower has an ellipsoid shape and is covered with hairs known as villous. It develops from a flower riddled with about 200 stamens.

11. Orange Agoseris

Agoseris aurantiaca, orange agoseris
Agoseris aurantiaca

is often called mountain dandelion or the fancier name of orange agoseris.

©Martin Erdniss/Shutterstock.com

Orange Agoseris
Scientific nameAgoseris aurantiaca
Type of plantPerennial
DistributionWestern North America

Part of the Asteraceae family, Agoseris aurantiaca is often called mountain dandelion or the fancier name of orange agoseris. It can be easily found throughout the western part of North America.

The plant can grow up to 24 inches (60 cm) tall and is characterized by its flower head that is covered by either hairy or glabrous phyllaries. The flower head is usually orange, but if you’re lucky enough, you might come across orange agoseris plants with red, pink, purple, or yellow flowers. Unlike the rayless arnica, the orange agoseris does have ray florets but lacks disc florets.

Summary of 11 Native Plants in Washington

Here’s a recap of the 11 plants native to Washington state that we took a look at.

NumberNative PlantScientific NamePlant TypeDistribution
1Common YarrowAchillea millefoliumPerennialNorth America, Europe, Asia, mainly the Northern Hemisphere
2Yellow Sand VerbenaAbronia latifoliaVerbenaNorth America’s west coast
3Western Mountain HeatherCassiope mertensianaShrubWestern North America (subalpine areas)
4Red BaneberryActaea rubraPerennialNorth America
5Fairy SlipperCalypso bulbosaPerennialNorthern United States, Scandinavia, Russia, Mongolia, Korea, Japan, China
6Western ServiceberryAmelanchier alnifoliaDeciduousNorth America
7Great CamasCamassia leichtliniiPerennialWestern North America
8Rayless ArnicaArnica discoideaPerennialWestern United States
9Western Wood AnemoneAnemonoides oreganaPerennialWashington, Oregon, northern California
10White PasqueflowerAnemone occidentalisHerbaceousWestern North America
11Orange AgoserisAgoseris aurantiacaPerennialWestern North America

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Starover Sibiriak/Shutterstock.com


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About the Author

I hold seven years of professional experience in the content world, focusing on nature, and wildlife. Asides from writing, I enjoy surfing the internet and listening to music.

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Sources
  1. Wikipedia, Available here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_(state)#Geography
  2. Backyard Garden Lover, Available here: https://www.backyardgardenlover.com/washington-native-plants-list/
  3. Gardenia, Available here: https://www.gardenia.net/native-plants/washington