Native Trees

Acer circinatum

GENERAL: Shrub or scraggly small tree to 7 m tall, the sprawling branches often rooting and forming new 'colonies'; stems pale green, becoming dull brown with age.

LEAVES: Maple leaves, opposite, deciduous, round, 5-12 cm across, 7- to 9-lobed, toothed, hairy on the lower surface, at least along the veins; becoming either golden (in the shade) or bright red (in full sun) in the autumn.

FLOWERS: White, 6-9 mm broad; in clusters at the end of shoots.

FRUITS: Winged fruits 2-4 cm long; green becoming reddish or brown; in widely spreading (almost in a straight line) pairs.

ECOLOGY: Moist to wet places, generally under other trees where some light reaches the forest floor (canopy openings, forest edges) but sometimes in open areas like shrub fields, clear cuts or lava flows; low to middle elevations.

Acer glabrum
DOUGLAS MAPLE

GENERAL: Shrub or small tree to 10 m tall; branches opposite; young twigs reddish, older bark grayish.

LEAVES: Opposite, deciduous, 2-8 cm across, divided into 3-5 lobes, typical maple-leaf shape, coarsely toothed; turning bright yellowish-orange to crimson in fall.

FLOWERS: Greenish-yellow, small; male and female flowers on separate or same plant; some flowers may have both sexes; in terminal or auxiliary clusters of about 10, appearing with the leaves.

FRUITS: Tan, each with a large wing, about 2-3 cm long; pairs attached in a V-shape.

ECOLOGY: Dry ridges to moist but well-drained seepage sites; in the northern half of our region on the inner coast along the shoreline, rocky areas, forest edges and floodplains, sometimes abundant on the lower edges of avalanche tracks; usually on drier, more open sites than vine maple; low to middle elevations.

Acer macrophyllum
BIGLEAF MAPLE

GENERAL: Large, often multi-stemmed, to 35 m tall; young bark green and smooth, older bark gray-brown, ridged, and often covered with mosses, lichens and ferns.

LEAVES: Opposite, deciduous, 5-lobed maple leaves, 15-30 cm across, dark green above, paler below, turning yellow in the autumn; leaf stalk exudes milky juice when cut.

FLOWERS: Greenish-yellow, about 3 mm across; numerous on short stalks in a hanging cylindrical cluster; appear with or before the leaves.

FRUITS: Golden-brown, paired, winged seeds ('samaras'), 3-6 cm long; wings spread in a V-shape.

ECOLOGY: Dry to moist sites, often with Douglas-fir, often on sites disturbed by fire, clearing or logging; at low to middle elevations.

Alnus rubra
RED ALDER

GENERAL:  Deciduous, up to 25 m tall, bark thin, grey, and smooth, often with white patches of lichens, becoming scaly at the base with age; wood and bark turn rusty-red when cut.

LEAVES:  Alternate, deciduous, broadly elliptic and sharp-pointed at the base and tip, dull green and smooth above, rust-coloured and hairy below, the margins wavy and slightly rolled under, with coarse, blunt teeth; leaves remain more or less green until they drop off in late fall.

FLOWERS: Male and female flowers in hanging, cylindrical spikes (catkins), appear before the leaves; male catkins 5-12 cm long, female catkins to 2 cm long.

FRUITS:  Clusters of brownish cones to 2 cm long; remain on the tree over the winter; contain oval, winged nutlets.

ECOLOGY:  Moist woods, streambanks, floodplains, slide tracks, and recently cleared land, often in pure stands; at low elevations.

Betula papyrifera
PAPER BIRCH

GENERAL:  Small to medium-sized, deciduous, to 30 m tall; bark peeling in papery strips, white to copper-brown, smooth and marked with brown horizontal lines of raised pores.

LEAVES:  Alternate, deciduous, oval to round, sharp-pointed, to 10 cm long (and much longer on young growth), sometimes very shallowly lobed, dull green above, paler and hairy below; margins doubly toothed.

FLOWERS:  Male and female flowers in separate catkins 2-4 cm long; flower at the same time or before leaves emerge; catkins break up at maturity.

FRUITS:  Nutlets with wings broader than body.

ECOLOGY:  Open to dense woods, usually moist, from lowlands to lower mountain slopes; typically on well drained sites but also on or around bogs and other wetlands.

Corylus cornuta
BEAKED HAZELNUT

GENERAL:  1-4 m tall, with many stems; twigs, leaves and bud scales covered in long white hairs at least when young, hairless after first season; densely clumped or spreading widely by suckers.

LEAVES:  Alternate, elliptic to oval, commonly with heart shaped base and sharp-pointed tip, doubly saw-toothed, paler below than above, turn yellow in fall.

FLOWERS: Male flowers in catkins, flower before the appearance of leaves in the spring; female catkins very small, with protruding red stigmas.

FRUITS:  Spherical, edible nuts, enclosed in tubular husks; husks light-green, covered with stiff prickly hairs and projecting beyond the nut into a beak; in clusters of 2 or 3 at ends of branches.

ECOLOGY:  Moist but well drained site at low to middle elevations; in open forest, shady openings, thickets, clearings, rocky slopes, and well drained streamside habitats.

Crataegus douglasii
BLACK HAWTHORN

GENERAL:  Large shrubs or small trees to 10m tall, thorns to 3 cm long; bark grey, rough and scaly.

LEAVES:  Alternate, deciduous, quite thick, leathery, dark-green above, paler below, oval (but broadest towards the tip), 3-6 cm long, the top end with 5-9 lobes; margins saw-toothed.

FLOWERS:  White, stinky, about 1 cm across, 5 petals, 10 - 20 stamens; in clusters borne terminally or in leaf axils.

FRUITS:  Blackish-purple little 'apples' about 1 cm long; edible, but with large seeds.

ECOLOGY:  Moist , open places; forest edges, thickets, shorelines, streamside, areas, roadsides, coastal bluffs; at low to middle elevations.

Malus fusca
PACIFIC CRABAPPLE

GENERAL:  Shrub or small tree, 2-12 m tall, armed with sharp spur-shoots; older bark deeply fissured.

LEAVES:  Alternate deciduous lance- to egg-shaped, to 10 cm long, pointed at the end, toothed, with irregular lobes; turn red or yellow-orange in fall.

FLOWERS:  White to pink, showy , fragrant apple blossoms, about 2 cm across; 5-12 in flat-topped clusters on small spur-shoots.

FRUITS: Green becoming yellow or reddish , small (10-15 mm long) egg-shaped apples; edible but a bit tart.

ECOLOGY:  Moist woods, swamps, edges if standing and flowing water, upper beaches, often fringing estuaries; low to middle elevations the length of our region.

Picea sitchensis
SITKA SPRUCE

GENERAL: Large, commonly to 70 m tall and 2 m diameter; main branches typically long and horizontal, branchlets drooping; bark thin, reddish-brown to grey-brown breaking up into small scales. 

LEAVES:  Needles yellowish-green or bluish-green, stiff, very sharp, 1-3 cm long with 2 white lines of stomata on the upper surface, usually 2 narrower lines on the lower surface; 4 sided, somewhat flattened .

CONES:  Pollen cones red; seed cones 5-8 cm long, cylindrical, reddish-brown becoming brown, with thin, wavy, irregular toothed scales.

ECOLOGY:  In pure or mixed stands, often moist, well-drained sites such as alluvial floodplains, marine terraces, headlands, recent glacial outwash, avalanche tracks; also on old logs or mounds on boggy sites; typically at low to middle elevations, but reaching timberline on the Queen Charlotte Islands and the most maritime parts of southeast Alaska.

Pinus contorta
SHORE PINE

GENERAL:  Short, to 20 m tall (sometimes a straight tree to 30 m), often with crooked trunk and irregular, pillowy crown; bark moderately thick (greater than 2 cm thick in older trees) scaly or deeply furrowed into plates, dark brown to blackish.

LEAVES:  Needles in pairs, often curved and twisted, 2-7 cm long, deep green.

CONES:  Pollen cones small, reddish-green in clusters on tips of branches in spring; egg-shaped seed cones, 3-5 cm long, usually slightly curved; scales stiff and brown with sharp prickle at tip.

ECOLOGY:  Highly adaptable, tolerant of low-nutrient conditions; found from dunes and bogs to rocky hilltops and exposed outer-coast shorelines. At low to middle elevations, occasionally subalpine on north coast.

Pinus monticola
WESTERN WHITE PINE

GENERAL:  Medium-sized, beautifully symmetrical, to 40 m tall (occasionally much taller); bark initially smooth, sometimes with resin blisters, becoming scaly dark grey to nearly black, cinnamon coloured underneath.

LEAVES:  Needles in bundles of 5, light bluish-green, slender and flexible, 5-10 cm long.

CONES:  Pollen cones yellow, to 1 cm long; seed cones cylindrical when closed, 10-25 cm long, yellow-green to purple when young, becoming reddish-brown and woody, scales without prickles.

ECOLOGY:  Moist valleys to fairly open and dry slopes, from near sea level to subalpine.

Populus trichocarpa
BLACK COTTONWOOD

GENERAL:  Large, tall, deciduous, up to 50 m tall; buds very sticky (full of resin) and fragrant; old bark deeply furrowed, dark grey; young shoots often angled in cross-section.

LEAVES:  Alternate, deciduous, thick, oval, 5-15 cm long, with rounded to heart-shaped base and sharp-pointed tip; margin finely round-toothed; under surface pale and often stained with patches of brown resin beneath; leaf stalks round, often with a pair of glands at the junction with the blade.

FLOWERS:  Male and female flowers in catkins, and on separate plants; male flowers with 40-60 stamens, female flowers with 3 stigmas; flower before leaves open up.

FRUITS:  Round green, hairy capsules that split when ripe into 3 parts; seeds covered with white, fluffy hairs.

ECOLOGY:  On low to medium elevation, moist to wet sites; forms extensive stands on islands and floodplains along major rivers and on disturbed upland sites.

Prunus emarginata
BITTER CHERRY

GENERAL:  Shrubs or small trees, 2- 15 m tall; bark reddish-brown or grey with horizontal rows of raised pores.

LEAVES:  Alternate, deciduous, oblong to oval, 3-8 cm long, finely toothed, rounded at the tip, stalked, with 1 or 2  small glands at the base of the leaf blade.

FLOWERS:  White or pinkish, 10-15 cm across; 5-10 in a flat-topped cluster.

FRUITS:  Bright red cherries to 1 cm diameter; bitter.

ECOLOGY:  In moist forest and along streams, and as a pioneer on logged areas; at low to middle elevations.

Pseudotsuga menziesii
DOUGLAS FIR

GENERAL:  Large to 70 m tall (sometimes 80-90 m); crown of young trees pyramidal with a stiffly erect leader; branches spreading to drooping; buds sharply pointed; bark ultimately very thick, fluted, rigid, rough and dark brown.

LEAVES:  Needles flat yellowish-green, 2-4 cm long, with pointed tips,1 groove on upper surface and 2 white bands of stomata on lower surface, spirally arranged, leave small flat scar on twig upon falling; buds sharp-pointed.

CONES:  Pollen cones small, reddish-brown; young seed cones hanging, oval, 5-10 cm long, green at flowering, turning reddish-brown to grey; scales papery; bracts prominently 3 forked, extend beyond scales (look for the 'mice' hiding in the cones-the bracts are their hind feet and tails).

ECOLOGY:  From extremely dry, low elevation sites to moist montane sites; on the outer south coast it is replaced by western hemlock except on dry, rocky sites or in areas influenced by fire.

Rhamnus purshiana
CASCARA

GENERAL:  Erect, tall shrub or small tree to 10 m tall, with thin, smooth , silver-grey, numbingly bitter bark.

LEAVES:  Alternate (may seem almost opposite on new growth), deciduous (but young plants may retain their foliage over mild winters), egg-shaped to oblong, dark glossy green, 6-12 cm long finely toothed, strongly pinnately veined in furrows, the surface washboardy.

FLOWERS:  Greenish-yellow, small (3-4 mm long); 5 sepals, petals, and stamens; 8-50 in stalked, umbrella-shaped clusters in the axils of leaves.

FRUITS:  Blue-black to purplish-black berries, 5-8 mm across; edible but not incredible.

ECOLOGY:  Fairly dry to wet, often shady sites, most commonly in mixed woods, favour southern aspects with conifers or swampy bottomlands with red alder and vine maple; at low to middle elevations.

Thuja plicata
WESTERN RED CEDAR

GENERAL:  Large tree up to 60 m tall, with drooping leader; mature trees often fluted and buttressed at base; branches tend to spread or droop slightly and then turn upward (J-shaped); branchlets spraylike, strongly flattened horizontally; bark grey to reddish brown, tearing off in long fibrous strips; wood aromatic.

LEAVES:  Scale-like, opposite pairs in 4 rows, the leaves in one pair folded, the leaves in the other mot, closely pressed to stem in overlapping shingled arrangement that looks like a flattened braid; glossy yellowish green, turning brown and shedding on branches 3-4 years old.

CONES:  Pollen cones minute, numerous, reddish; seed cones with 8-12 scales, egg-shaped, about 1 cm long, in loose clusters, green when immature, becoming brown, woody and turned upward; seeds winged.

ECOLOGY:  Mostly in moist to wet soils, usually in shaded forests; grows best on seepage and alluvial sites, but also occurs in drier habitats, especially on richer soils, and in bogs. Low to middle elevation.

Tsuga heterophylla
WESTERN HEMLOCK

GENERAL:  To 60 m tall with a narrow crown, a conspicuously drooping leader, gracefully down-sweeping branches and delicate, feathery foliage; bark rough, reddish-brown, scaly, thick and furrowed in old trees; twigs slender, roughened by the peg-like bases whose needles have fallen.

LEAVES:  Needles short , flat, blunt, widely and irregularly spaced, of unequal length (5-20 mm long), producing feathery flat sprays, yellowish-green on top, whitish with 2 fine lines of stomata below, twisted at the base to appear 2-ranked.

CONES:  Pollen cones numerous, small; seed cones numerous, small (about 2 cm long), oblong , purplish-green when young to light brown when mature.

ECOLOGY:  Fairly dry to wet sites; well adapted to grow on humus and decaying wood, also found on mineral soil; shade-tolerant; very common from low to middle elevations.