Good morning. My name is Larry Bliesner and I’m here to talk about a native plant. A native plant is one that is natural to our area. My plant is the Oregon Grape, which is Oregon’s State Flower.
The Oregon Grape is actually an evergreen shrub. The tall variety grows 5-8 feet high. The low variety grows to about 2 feet. The Oregon Grape has yellow flowers in the spring, which hummingbirds like. During the summer the plant forms bluish-black berries which other birds like.
The Oregon Grape is not a true grape like the ones we eat. However, Kalapuyan indigenous peoples ate the berries, which are sour. The bark could be used as a yellow color to dye native baskets, while the berries produce the color purple.
The Oregon Grape tolerates shade or sun. It is a good plant for your soil garden and for St. Andrew’s “homegrown” National Park.
Larry Bliesner