Four Common Pacific Northwest Broadleaf Trees

Bigleaf Maple, Garry Oak, Oregon Myrtle and Western Hazelnut

Jun 9, 2009

Native broadleaf trees of many families grow in open woodlands, at forest edges and along waterways from Northern California through British Columbia.

Though the Pacific Northwest is known primarily for its dense conifer forests, broadleaf trees are plentiful, many growing naturally only in this area.

“Bigleaf” is no exaggeration for this tree. The leaves are the largest of any maple – up to 12 inches with equally long stalks. Like other maples, the leaves are fan shaped and lobed. Leaves of this species have five deep lobes, each with a few rounded teeth. The leaf shape follows roughly the outline of a wide-open hand, only larger. Drooping racemes of flowers appear in early spring, followed by winged seeds in pairs that hang in clusters beginning in early summer. Leaf stems grow opposite one another along the branch. Trees grow to 100 feet and thrive in open areas where soil is fertile. They are found in a narrow band from the Pacific Ocean inland to the Cascade Range.

Another native maple, the Vine Maple (Acer circinatum), is a small multi-branched tree or shrub with small, roundish, sharply lobed and toothed leaves. Stems are thin and, when growing in the forest shade, range out around neighboring trees. It can be a beautiful sight in spring when red-tinged leaves begin to appear along with tiny red flowers. In fall leaves growing in sun turn red, while those in dense shade turn yellow. It can form vine-like thickets in damp forests in Oregon, Washington and southwest British Columbia.

The tough, leathery leaves of this oak are smooth-edged and deeply lobed, curling slightly under. Leaves are about six inches long. The acorns are somewhat linear, about an inch long with a narrow cap. The tree grows about 40 to 70 feet tall and usually become gnarled with age. It grows from California to Vancouver Island in British Columbia, inland of the Pacific Ocean and along the Columbia River Gorge. Because it can withstand partial drought and shallow soils, it often dominates in such areas. In some spots of the region, Oregon White Oak (or Garry Oak as it is also called) combines with Madrone to form scenic open woodlands.

In Oregon tourist shops, figurines, clocks and furniture made of Oregon Myrtle are often a star attraction. The wood of this tree has a grain that can swirl into ribbons of color ranging from light blonde to dark brown to almost black. It is prized by artists and craftsmen. The shiny green leaves of the tree are strongly aromatic and are sometimes used to add a spicy flavor to cooking. Leaves are three to five inches long and smooth edged. Though a broadleaf tree, it is evergreen. It bears tiny yellow-green flowers in winter and inch-long oval fruits in late fall. A full, bushy tree, it grows 30 to 80 feet tall. It is a tree of many names, sometimes also called California Laurel. It grows primarily in California to southwest

This northwestern native is a relative of the European filbert and grows as a small tree (or large shrub) on both sides of the Cascades. Leaves are downy and rounded with double-toothed edges. It blooms in winter before the leaves appear, with yellow-green male catkins and tiny red flowers at the ends of the twigs. Flowers develop into nuts that grow in pairs with beaked husks. Nuts are tasty and attract birds and squirrels.

Sources:

Trees of the Pacific Northwest, by George A. Petrides, Stackpole Books,Mechanicsburg, PA, 2005.

Trees of North America: A Guide to Field Identification, by Frank Brockman, Golden Field Guides from St. Martin’s Press, New York, 2001.

The copyright of the article Four Common Pacific Northwest Broadleaf Trees in Plant Species is owned by Linda McDonnell. Permission to republish Four Common Pacific Northwest Broadleaf Trees in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.