Native plants play a crucial role in Washington’s ecosystem. They provide biodiversity, soil stabilization, water conservation, pollinator influence, insect control, and adaptation to climate change, as well as a cultural and historical significance to Washington’s saga.
Washington State is known for its diverse and distinct ecosystems, which set it apart from other regions. This geographic diversity forms a variety of ecosystems, each with its own unique characteristics, climate, and species composition. Some defining differences include the following:
Temperate Rainforest
The western side of the Cascades, specifically in the Olympic Peninsula, Olympic National Park, and parts of the Cascades Range are all home to temperate rainforests. These ecosystems experience high levels of precipitation, leading to lush, dense vegetation full of coniferous trees like Sitka Spruce, Western Red Cedar, and Western Hemlock. This region also supports a variety of ferns, mosses, and epiphytes, providing a rich verdant, and biodiverse environment.
Idaho Fescue is a cool-season perennial bunchgrass that is native to the woodlands and foothills of the Intermountain West region. It forms dense tufts and is drought-tolerant, making it a perfect addition to water-wise landscapes and naturalized areas. It prefers well-drained sandy soils (though it is adaptable), provides bluish-green foliage, and is an excellent forage for both wildlife and livestock. Idaho Fescue can be grown without irrigation in areas that receive at least 12 inches of annual precipitation.
Native: Woodlands and foothills of the Intermountain West
Scientific Name: Festuca idahoensis
Life Form: Cool-Season Perennial
Height: 1’-3’
Germination Rate: Quick
Seeding Rate: 6lbs./Acre
Coniferous Forests
Most of Washington state falls in this category: dominated by evergreens such as Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock, Ponderosa Pine, and Grand Fir. These factors provide huge ecological benefits, as well as habitat to wildlife species.
Alpine and Subalpine
These ecosystems are featured in the high elevations of the Cascade Mountains. They are characterized by snowfields, meadows, and rocky slopes. Subalpine Fir, Lupine, Mountain Hemlock, and various wildflowers call this region home. Alpine ecosystems are challenging environments due to harsh conditions: low temperatures and short growing seasons.
Indian Ricegrass is a cool-season perennial bunchgrass, known for being one of the most important native grasses in rangelands throughout the West. It’s palatable and nutritious for all types of wildlife and livestock and produces seeds that are sought by small mammals and birds. It’s very drought tolerant, an excellent contributor to rangeland improvement and land reclamation, and can be grown without irrigation in areas that receive at least 8 inches of annual precipitation.
Native: Western United States
Scientific Name: Achnatherum hymenoides
Life Form: Cool-Season Perennial
Height: 1’-2’
Germination Rate: Slow
Seeding Rate: 10lbs./Acre
Riparian
Along Rivers, streams, and wetlands, these areas present critical habitats for an array of plant and animal species. Vegetation includes trees such as Cottonwood, Willow, and Alder, which stabilize streambanks, reduce erosion, and provide shade. This ecosystem is essential in maintaining water quality, regulating stream temperatures, and supporting aquatic life.
Blue Wildrye is a cool-season perennial bunchgrass that is native to the meadows and woodlands of the Rocky Mountains and the western United States. It’s a tall, thin, slow-spreading grass that grows well in a variety of soil types – preferring the PNW. It’s a crucial soil stabilizer, habitat creator, and food source for wildlife. Provides a bluish-gray hue, is drought tolerant, wildfire resistant, and can be grown without irrigation in areas that receive at least 15 inches of annual precipitation.
Native: Western United States
Scientific Name: Elymus glaucus
Life Form: Cool-Season Perennial
Height: 1’-5’
Germination Rate: Quick
Seeding Rate: 12lbs./Acre
Grasslands and Shrub-Steppe
This ecosystem is in Eastern Washington, leading to lower precipitation (compared to Western Washington), and is dominated by Sagebrush, bunchgrasses, and wildflowers.
Wetlands
This ecosystem is incredibly diverse in Washington, including marshes, estuaries, swamps, and bogs. Wetlands are essential to water filtration, flood control, and plant and animal habitat, supporting wetland-adapted plants like cattails, sedges, and aquatic plants. Wetlands are particularly important for the survival of migratory birds and amphibians.
Bluebunch Wheatgrass – the state grass of Washington – is a cool-season perennial bunchgrass that is native to most of the Intermountain West and northern Great Plains. It’s one of the most important native grasses in the PNW. It’s an excellent component of erosion control and reclamation projects. It forms dense tufts, is a long-lived and palatable forage for livestock and wildlife, is highly drought-tolerant, wildfire resistant, adaptable to most soils, and can be grown without irrigation in areas that receive 8-10 inches of annual precipitation.
Native: Semi-Desert areas of the Intermountain West
Scientific Name: Pseudoroegneria spicata
Life Form: Cool-Season Perennial
Height: 1’-4’
Germination Rate: Normal
Seeding Rate: 10lbs./Acres
Coastal
Coastal regions experience marine influences, such as high levels of precipitation, cool temperatures, and fog. This leads to unique coastal habitats, including sand dunes, rocky shores, and salt marshes, which provide their own collection of specialized plant and animal species.
Bottlebrush Squirreltail is a cool-season perennial bunchgrass that is native to a large portion of the western United States. It is a highly valued seed for reclamation and reseeding disturbed rangelands and is known for being one of the most fire-resistant native grasses. It’s great for green manure, erosion control and can be used as a cover crop. It prefers dry, gravelly, or saline soils (though it is adaptable), and can be grown without irrigation in areas that receive at least 8 inches of annual precipitation.
Native: Western United States
Scientific Name: Elymus elymoides, previously known as Sitanion hystrix
Life Form: Cool-Season Perennial
Height: 1’-2’
Germination Rate: Slow
Seeding Rate: 7lbs./Acre
Cascade Mountains
The Cascade Mountain Range runs north-south through Washington, creating an extensive barrier to weather patterns, and influencing precipitation levels. The western side receives abundant rainfall, supplying a lush temperate rainforest. The western side has a more maritime climate with lush forests and greater plant diversity, including Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock, Western Red Cedar, Sword Fern, Vine Maple, and Salal. The eastern side experiences a rain shadow effect, resulting in drier, semi-arid shrub-steppe ecosystems. The eastern side features more coniferous forests, hotter summers, and colder winters. Vegetation is adapted to these arid conditions, including Sagebrush, Ponderosa Pine, Juniper, and native bunchgrasses – Bluebunch Wheatgrass and Idaho Fescue.
Some of these varieties can vary depending on factors such as soil conditions, local climate, and elevation.
