Spring brings the blooms of huckleberry, rhododendron and a profusion of other flowering shrubs and small trees in forests from northern California to British Columbia.

While conifers dominate Pacific Northwest forests, a profusion of shrubs and understory trees bloom in startling displays of color in the spring. Below are some of the most common shrubs and small trees to look for in spring bloom.

Oregon Grape (Berberis nerviosa)

Oregon grape decorates the forest all year with its glossy, holly-like leaves. But come April, its bright yellow blossoms are like sunshine amid the forest dampness. Blooms can continue into June and are followed by purple berries. This plant is low-growing (up to three feet) and thrives along forest borders. A very similar species, Tall Oregon Grape (Berberis aquifolium), looks nearly identical, but grows up to six feet tall and is found further inland than its low-growing cousin. It is often used in landscaping. Also called Mahonia, tall Oregon grape is the Oregon state flower.

Pacific Rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum)

Rhododendrons have been cultivated in a variety of colors for the garden. But in the Pacific Northwest they grow wild with huge clusters of pink blossoms. A broadleaf evergreen, native rhododendron grows as an under story shrub of coastal and Cascade Range forests from California to British Columbia. It can often be seen in profusion on the edges of sandy coastal dunes. It generally blooms from May through June. The Pacific rhododendron is the Washington State flower.

Pacific Dogwood (Cornus nuttallii)

This dogwood grows to a small tree and is a favorite because of its showy white spring flowers. The white actually is formed by leaf bracts circling tiny flowers tightly clustered in the center. Stems on dogwoods grow opposite one another, making the plant easy to recognize even without the flowers. Leaves are also distinctive for the veins that swoop upward following the leaf outline. Flowers appear as early as March, before the leaves. Blooms may continue to appear into May. Pacific dogwood is the provincial flower of British Columbia.

Red Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa)

The white cone-shaped flower clusters of the red elderberry (also called Pacific Red Elderberry) dot coastal forests in spring. But the bright red berry clusters that last most of the summer give the red elderberry its name. Many a Pacific Coast forest takes on a festive look when these berries begin appearing. The plant grows as a shrub or small tree with five to seven long, pointed leaflets per leaf stems. Children have long made flutes from the hollow stems. They’re found in coastal areas from California to southern Alaska. A related species, the Blue Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa), has flat clusters of flowers in spring, followed by blue berries in summer.

Red Huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium)

This deciduous huckleberry is a familiar shrub of deep forests and clearings, often growing from the decaying trunks of fallen trees. It is most distinctive in early spring when its pink buds and delicate green leaves begin to unfold. The pink flowers appear nearly round, hanging from leaf axils. By summer it will have bright red berries.

Salal (Gaultheria shallon)

The broadleaf evergreen leaves of salal are used by florists around the world to complement flower arrangements. But while the leathery leaves get the fame in the floral world, the plant has its own flowers as well. The small white bell-like blooms emerge from red-tinged buds beginning in May. They hang in rows from their stems, to be replaced in late summer by deep blue berries. Salal is common in the Pacific Northwest, especially along coastal forest edges where it can grow in dense colonies.

Two other native Pacific Northwest shrubs, Indian Plum (Oemleria cerasiformis) and Red Flowering Current (Ribes sanguineum) are among the first to brighten the forest beginning in late March. Both are outlined in the related article Pacific Northwest Wildflowers where native flowers of the forest floor are also described and pictured. The flowering Pacific Madrone is often seen as a small tree in coastal areas, although it can gain substantial size, as well. The field guides listed below can help in identifying the variety of flowers appearing in spring and summer.

References

Coastal Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest, by Elizabeth Horn (Mountain Press, Missoula, Montana)

Lewis Clark’s Field Guide to Wildflowers of Forest & Woodland in the Pacific Northwest, by Lewis J. Clark (Harbour Publishing, BC, Canada)

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

Familiar Friends: Northwest Plants, by Rhoda Whittlesey (Rose Press, Portland, Oregon)