Tall conifer trees are a trademark of Oregon’s coastal forests. Large, long-lived, and stately, it is no wonder that we wonder about the trees. Still, there is a lot more to the forest than the canopy overhead. Shorter and multi-stemmed, shrubs offer another layer of fascination (literally) to our coastal forests—the understory. Shrubs have a lot to offer—between the many berries they produce to the cover they provide small birds and mammals shrubs have got it going on.
This short guide will tell you all you need to know about the shrubs that inhabit Oregon’s Coast Range Ecoregion. Learn some fun and interesting facts about each species, as well as key identification characteristics that will help you to tell them apart.
Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
It would be impossible to write a guide on coastal shrubs without including the ubiquitous salal shrub. Glossy, oval-shaped leaves with sharp tips alternate at angles along stiff branches. Salal is evergreen—meaning it retains its leathery leaves year round—making it a friendly sight even in winter. Rhizomatous, salal typically grows in dense thickets—sometimes to heights above the head. It also loves a dead stump for a home.
In the early spring, pinkish urn-shaped flowers emerge in rows, like hanging lanterns, from the ends of the branches. Not particularly showy, they offer a sign of good things to come. By summer, deep purple-blue berries replace the delicate flowers, offering a (though mealy) tasty trailside snack. The fact that there are so many of them, makes it easy to indulge—there is always plenty for the wildlife.
Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis)
A prickly trail companion, salmonberry shrubs are abundant along Oregon’s coastal trails, especially in drainages and near bodies of water. Thickets of salmonberry often cover small streams making them indistinguishable if it weren’t for the sound of their rushing waters. Salmonberry stems are armed with small thorns and curve and branch as they reach toward the sky—ranging in height from a couple of feet to 15. Leaves are set in triplicate—with doubly serrated leaflets; the central leaflet ending in a point, while the two lateral leaves are lobed. When observed together the leaves look a bit like a butterfly spreading its wings.
Bring pink/magenta flowers give way to a paler pink “raspberry” like fruit in early summer. Large ripe berries can be quite tasty and sweet but are pretty inconsistent. It is easy to miss these berries on taller shrubs as they can grow high above your head—just look up!
Evergreen Huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum)
A late bloomer, the evergreen huckleberry shrub keeps its tiny, finely toothed leaves year-round, and its berries late into fall and winter. This tall shrubby plant with sturdy branches and can grow up to 15 feet tall. Small, dark purple, and sweet berries grow in dense clusters originating from delicate, white to pink bell-shaped blooms. The evergreen huckleberry isn’t afraid of the dark growing in densely shaded forests and sunny open canopy alike.
Red Huckleberry (Vaccinium parviflorum)
A deciduous shrub, the red huckleberry loses its thin leaves in the fall, exposing the distinctly angled bright green branches of the shrub. Like the evergreen huckleberry, red huckleberry has small, simple oval-shaped pointed leaves, but without a sharp tip or teeth on the margin. Small bell-shaped flowers grow singly, ripening into bright red berries that are edible—their sour flavor often overpowering any sweetness. Red huckleberry grows in a variety of moist sites and is a common inhabitant of nurse logs or stumps.
Pacific Rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum)
Crooked branches grow upwards, sometimes reaching about 12 feet in height; leathery elongated leaves 3-6 inches in length with tapered ends circle near the tips of each stem where large pink bugle-shaped flowers grow in clusters. Pacific Rhododendron is a showstopper when it blooms in late spring or early summer.
Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus)
Fuzzy, hand-shaped leaves, like that of a maple, face the sun near the top of this delicate shrub. Crinkly white 5-petals bloom in spring in few-flowered clusters, later ripening into a soft bright red compound berry that stains your fingers and lips. A personal favorite to taste, there is nothing like finding a patch of these “thimble-shaped berries” along the trail—sweet with a bit of a sour kick—YUM!
Black twinberry (Lonicera involucrata)
A thick-stemmed shrub reaching heights of about 10 feet with green simple elliptical leaves that grow opposite each other. The name twinberry is appropriate not just for the paired leaves, but the yellow tube-shaped flowers also come in pairs with two leafy bracts behind. Early summer blossoms give way to twin black-colored berries in late summer. Perhaps most striking, the green bracts also change from green to a deep red with ripening. Unlike other coastal shrubs, twinberry fruit is not recommended for eating. They are considered unpleasant, bitter, and contain toxins. Found mostly in more open environments, like along meadows and streams, this coastal shrub prefers at least partial sun.
Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
A low-growing, sprawling shrub—kinnikinnick grows in a variety of habitats, including sand, rocky, and dry meadows, as well as coniferous forests. Thick, shiny evergreen oval-shaped leaves alternate in quick succession from the red-brown branches forming a mat of green along the ground. Bright pink bell-shaped flowers grow in tight clusters from the branch tips. The fruits stick around through winter—bright red and glossy, the berries, though edible, must be fried or stewed before consuming.
Coyote brush (Baccharis pilularis)
A coastal species commonly associated with scrub communities of California, coyote brush is found growing on bluffs, dunes, and open woodlands environments in Oregon. Bushy with many small alternating wedge-shaped leaves, though may be mat forming in sandy environments. The blue-green leaves are evergreen and sometimes sticky with widely spaced teeth along their margins. Individual plants may be male or female. Male plants produce tiny yellow flowers, while females produce white. Fruits are very small and dry (called achenes); tufts of hair-like projections carry mature seeds on the wind.
Waxyleaf Silktassel (Garrya elliptica)
Another Oregon and California coast endemic—this evergreen shrub grows in a variety of coastal habitats including woodlands, dunes, bluffs, and chaparral. Waxy, thick oval-shaped leaves with wavy margins are opposite each other along the stem; the undersides of the leaves are velvety and soft. The flowers are catkins—slender, hanging structures. Striking foot-long male catkins are yellow turning gray, while female catkins are only a few inches and silvery. Fruits are clusters of dry blue to black berries.
Western Azalea (Rhododendron occidentale)
Sweet-smelling blooms coupled with colorful blooms—the western azalea brightens up any hike with its presence. Elongated, shiny, 2–4-inch leaves, tapering at the ends, run alternate each other on this loosely branched shrub. Near the tips of the branches, leaves create a sunburst pattern behind dense clusters of fragrant white to pink trumpet-shaped flowers. A southern Oregon and northern California native, it prefers moist sites, but not too wet, and is known to grow on the nutrient-poor serpentine soils of the Klamath region.
Pacific Bayberry or Pacific Wax Myrtle (Myrica californica)
A bushy-looking shrub with narrow, toothed leaves that seems to spiral as they alternate along the branches. An evergreen shrub, the leaves are dark green and leathery on top with a lighter underside. Look for white or black speckles on the paler bottom of the leaves. Crush the leaves and take a whiff—bayberry leaves give off a fresh spicy scent. The dark purple small round fruits of the bayberry are also fragrant and covered in wax—find them clustered near the shrub’s branches.
Red Elderberry (Sambucus racemose)
Large compound leaves and bright red fruits best describe this lanky plant with swooping branches that reach above your head. Red elderberry is a delight to behold! Each leaf is made up of 5 to 7 narrow leaflets with serrated edges arranged opposite of each other from a central vein—all combined, just one leaf may be up to a foot long. Leaves are arranged opposite each other on sturdy branches with tiny, raised bumps, called lenticels, that allow for gas exchange. Pyramidal clusters of creamy white flowers blossom from the tips of branches, later ripening into tiny, shiny “berry-like” fruits, only about 1/8th inch in diameter. Do not eat these berries raw.
