Eastern washington deciduous trees

Used For: Shakes, shingles, decking, interior and exterior siding and fencing, and wood chips to make medical masks and gowns. Scientific name: Thuja plicata. Did you know Sitka Spruce is used to make sounding boards in pianos and other musical instruments such as violins and guitars? Pale, slender cones up to 4 inches long. Bark forms plates the size of silver dollars. Most tops have been attacked and killed by the Spruce budworm.

Used For: Lumber, paper, musical instruments, and ladders. Scientific name: Picea sitchensis. Did you know Ponderosa Pine seeds are an extremely valuable food source for birds and squirrels?

Look For: Long, needles, inches, yellow-green, 3 per bundle. Cones inches long, round with sharp tips. Bark of older trees orange-brown, with broad, flat scaly ridges and deep furrows. Used For: Lumber, decorative molding, furniture wood and pilings.

Scientific name: Pinus ponderosa. Did you know Red Alder grows fast, up to 1 meter per year until age 20? Cones small 1 inch. Splotchy gray bark. Used For: Furniture wood, pallets, cabinets, paneling, paper, and paper products. Scientific name: Alnus rubra.

Did you know the most well-known natural-source cancer drug in the United States, Taxol, is derived from the bark of the Pacific Yew tree? Small tree that lives in the shade of other trees. Inside of each fruit are two buckeyes which are poisonous. The compound leaves consist usually of leaflets; the samaras occur in large clusters as seen here.

The foliage, blue-green in summer, turns a purplish-pink in the fall. Unlike most birches, the bark of gray birch does not peel off. Gray birch occurs mainly as a pioneer tree in recently disturbed area. This rather shaggy tree bears in May or June clusters of large white flowers with orange-yellow throats; the resulting fruits seen here appear in late summer. Because of their shape, the tree is sometimes called the "Indian cigar" tree. Recognize this beautiful tree by its blue-green needles arranged in bundles of 5, and its long slender cones.

Because the early European settlers found it so useful, few large specimens remain. This large tree has leathery simple leaves that turn bronze in the fall. Note the pointed buds. Shown here is the trunk of a fully mature specimen over a hundred feet in height. This fast growing tree is common and widespread throughout the east. The wood, marketed as "yellow poplar" has many and varied used including house construction and furniture.

Because of its habitat, it is also called "water maple". Note the leaves which are deeply dissected; underneath they are a silvery green. Growing as a small tree or shrub, this attractive tree inhabits cool, moist places, and is more common in the mountains. The WNPS Native Plant Directory goal is to provide basic information on Washington State native plants including identifying features, plant propagation and landscaping uses, ethnobotanical uses, and conservation and restoration uses.

These listings are under development in If you are interested in writing listings or submitting photos, please contact. Explore Plants Menu. Browse by genus: A. Abies grandis Pinaceae Grand Fir. Abies lasiocarpa Pinaceae Subalpine Fir. Acer circinatum Sapindaceae Vine Maple. Acer glabrum var. Acer grandidentatum Sapindaceae bigtooth maple.