Abies concolor

Source: www.nwplants.com

Botanical Name: Abies concolor
Common Name: White Fir, Silver Fir, Colorado Fir
Family: Pinaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer
Habit: Conical and branched to base, upper branches tend to point upward whereas lower branches are horizontal or directed down.
Growth Rate: Slow
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 30-50'
Leaves: Needles curve outwards and upwards on branches, flattened, light green to green to bluish, glaucous on both sides and more or less giving a bluish cast. In heavy shade, needles may show a "flatter" distribution.
Flowers: 
Fruit: Cones erect, stalked, 8-13 cm long, pale green with a purplish bloom, finally brown.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Sun. Best in deep, rich, moist, well-drained soil, poor on heavy clay. Withstands heat, drought, and cold. Does not tolerate pollution. Hardy to USDA Zone 3.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: concolor: uniform color, refers to both needle surfaces.
Google images of Abies concolor

Betula jacquemontii

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Betula jacquemontii
Common Name: Whitebarked Himalayan Birch
Family: Betulaceae
Type of Plant: Deciduous tree
Habit: Pyramidal, upward branches.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 30-50'
Leaves: Alternate, simple, 5-7.5 cm long, rounded or slightly cuneate (wedge-shaped with straight sides) at base, margin double serrated, dark green above, glandular below, pubescent on veins, 7-9 vein pairs.
Flowers: 
Fruit: 
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: White "paper" bark on trunk and often on young branches.
Culture: Light to part shade, especially afternoon shade. Hardy to USDA Zone 5.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: bronze birch borer
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: jacquemontii: after Victor Jacquemont, French naturalist.
Google images of Betula jacquemontii

Betula papyrifera

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Betula papyrifera
Common Name: Paperbark Birch
Family: Betulaceae
Type of Plant: Deciduous tree
Habit: Loosely pyramidal to rounded.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 40-50'
Leaves: Simple, alternate, 5-12 cm long, rounded or sometimes wedge shaped, glabrous above and pubescent on veins below, coarsely and usually doubly serrate, dull green in summer, yellow in fall.
Flowers: 
Fruit: 
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: After several years, lateral branches show chalky-white paper-like bark, peels easily.
Culture: Sun. Hardy to USDA Zone 2.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: 
Google images of Betula papyrifera

Calocedrus decurrens

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Calocedrus decurrens
Common Name: Incense Cedar
Family: Cupressaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer
Habit: Stiff or narrowly columnar in youth, regular in outline, branchlets flattened, terminating in dense, fan-like sprays, wedge-shaped joints.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 70-110'
Leaves: Leaves in 4's closely pressed, a "fluted wine-glass" pattern formed by each outside (lateral) pair of leaves, lustrous dark green throughout the year (little or no winter browning), emitting an aromatic odor when crushed.
Flowers: 
Fruit: Male cones small (3 mm), yellow, female cones cylindrical, 2-2.5 cm long, composed of 6 paired, flattened, and pointed scales ("duck-beaks"), ripening in early autumn.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: Bark light or reddish brown.
Culture: Sun or partial shade. Prefers moist, well-drained, fertile soils, but shows adaptability to different soil types. Hardy to USDA Zone 5.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: calocedrus: from the Greek, kalos, beautiful, and kedros, cedar. decurrens: extending down
Google images of Calocedrus decurrens

Cedrus deodara

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Cedrus deodara
Common Name: Deodar Cedar
Family: Pinaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer
Habit: Broadly pyramidal with gracefully pendulous branches, drooping central leader, spreading and flat-topped with age. Long branches bearing scattered leaves, and spur-like stems with whorled needles.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 40-70'
Leaves: Needles 15-20 per whorl, or singly on long shoots, light blue or grayish green, or even silvery, softer than C. atlantica).
Flowers: 
Fruit: Male (pollen) cones are upright, 5-7.5 cm long, usually numerous on lower branches, releasing clouds of yellow pollen in fall, then falling and covering the ground. Female (seed) cones are upright, solitary, or in pairs, ovoid, 7.5-10 cm long, require 2 years to mature.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Sun. Prefers well-drained and somewhat dry soil. Protect from sweeping winds. Hardy to USDA Zone 6 (less hardy than C. atlantica).
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: deodara: from the Indian (East) name for the tree.
Google images of Cedrus deodara

Tsuga heterophylla

Source: www.nwplants.com

Botanical Name: Tsuga heterophylla
Common Name: Western Hemlock
Family: Pinaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer
Habit: Narrowly pyramidal when young, pendulous branches.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 60-100'
Leaves: Needles in more or less 2 ranks, although arising from all around the stem, equally broad from base to apex, rounded apex, finely dentate margin, very short petiole, shiny dark green and grooved above, with 2 broad whitish bands below with indistinct edges; persist 4-7 years.
Flowers: 
Fruit: Cones elliptical, light brown, 2-2.5 cm long, each cone contains 30-40 small seeds.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Sun, but can take a fair amount of shade in the forest.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Can be sheared into a hedge when young. Bonsai. Native planting.
Additional Information: State tree of Washington. heterophylla: refers to the different sized leaves on the same twig, smaller toward the tip.
Google images of Tsuga heterophylla

Tsuga mertensiana

Source: www.nwplants.com

Botanical Name: Tsuga mertensiana
Common Name: Mountain Hemlock
Family: Pinaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer
Habit: Narrowly conical, branches and twigs thin and nodding.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 30-100'
Leaves: Needles arranged radially around the stem, but densest on the upper side, linear, stomatal lines on both sides, apex blunt, base attached to the stem via a roundish "peg" and short petiole, gray-green to silver-white; on short lateral branches the needles are grouped in star-like clusters.
Flowers: 
Fruit: Cones oblong-cylindrical, stalkless, pendulous, often purple when young.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: bark charcoal gray to reddish brown, scaly and deeply fissured.
Culture: Sun, if soil not too dry. Best growth occurs in areas of moist air and cool summer temperatures. Hardy to USDA Zone 5.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Bonsai, small gardens.
Additional Information: mertensiana: after Karl Heinrich Mertens, a German botanist who discovered it in 1827.
Google images of Tsuga mertensiana

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Gracilis'

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Gracilis'
Common Name: Slender Hinoki False Cypress
Family: Cupressaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer
Habit: Has a sculpted look, with cup-like and blunt branchlets.
Growth Rate: Slow
10-Year Height: < 6'
Mature Height: 12' - 20'
Leaves: Closely pressed, scale-like, white X and Y markings on underside, cupped branchlets. Dieback on inside in winter.
Flowers: Monecious. Insignificant.
Fruit: Soccer ball cones, short-stalked.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: Reddish brown, shed in long narrow strips.
Culture: Full sun.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Woodland edge, alpine garden, specimen, foundation plant, line softener.
Additional Information: obtusa: blunt, the leaves

Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 'Pendula'

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 'Pendula'
Common Name: Weeping Alaska Cedar
Family: Cupressaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer
Habit: Upright, weepy, "wizard sleeves"
Growth Rate: Medium
10-Year Height: > 10'
Mature Height: 30' - 45'
Leaves: Closely pressed, same color on both sides, scale-like, feather-like leaflet, usually not glandular, gray-green to bluish green, rank-smelling when crushed.
Flowers: Monecious. April-May
Fruit: Male: creamy white tips. Female: Round and woody. Cones are like soccer balls: globose, with 4 (6) scales furnished with a triangular pointed boss, ripen in second year.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: Branches usually pendulous. Reddish brown bark.
Culture: Full sun.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Specimen, focal point, screen, woodland edge, native area.
Additional Information: 

Pyrus calleryana

Botanical Name: Pyrus calleryana
Common Name: Callery Pear
Family:Rosaceae
Type of Plant: Deciduous tree
Habit: Fastigiated
Growth Rate: Fast
10-Year Height: > 10', > 20'
Mature Height: 30-40'
Leaves: Alternate, simple, leathery, and lustrous lime green. Foliage can develop a spectacular reddish-purple in fall.
Flowers: White, borne in cymes, 5 petals. March-April.
Fruit: Small rounded pome. 1/2" or less across, russet-dotted, hidden by foliage. Marble-sized, drag olive green.
Buds/New Growth: Shaggy, imbricate, terminal buds.
Stem/Bark: Trunk bark is slightly furrowed and grayish brown at maturity. Lenticels. Thorns. Lots of spurs.
Culture: Sun.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Good street tree.
Additional Information: 

Prunus cerasifera 'Thundercloud'

Botanical Name: Prunus cerasifera 'Thundercloud'
Common Name: Thundercloud Plum
Family: Rosaceae
Type of Plant: Deciduous tree
Habit: Shrubby, twiggy, rounded
Growth Rate:  fast
10-Year Height: > 10'
Mature Height: 20-30'
Leaves: Alternate, simple, ovate, elliptic or obovate, apex pointed, coppery purple, serrated margins.
Flowers: Single, pink, flowers before leaves, fragrant, perfect, solitary. 5 petals. March-April
Fruit: Edible. Size of ping-pong ball.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: No lenticels. Charcoal black bark.
Culture: Sun.
Pruning: After flowering to keep tree vigorous. In February and June, prune watersprouts.
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Accent tree. Street tree.
Additional Information: Short-lived: 40-60 years.

Acer glabrum

Source: www.nwplants.com

Botanical Name: Acer glabrum
Common Name: Douglas Maple; Rocky Mountain Maple
Family: Aceraceae
Type of Plant: Broadleaf deciduous tree
Habit: Often multi-stemmed, upright
Growth Rate: Slow
10-Year Height: < 6
Mature Height: 30 feet
Leaves: Opposite, simple, 3-5 lobes (occasionally divided into 3 leaflets, more common in moist areas), coarsely double toothed, green above, blue-green below. Petiole long, slender, often red. Fall color yellow.
Flowers: Dioecious. Yellowish green, with 5 petals. April-May.
Fruit: Wings nearly parallel.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Sun to part shade. Found along streams and other moist sites.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Native planting. Erosion control.
Additional Information: 

Arbutus menziesii

Source: www.nwplants.com

Botanical Name: Arbutus menziesii
Common Name: Pacific Madrone; Madrona
Family: Ericaceae
Type of Plant: Broadleaf evergreen tree
Habit:
Growth Rate: Medium
10-Year Height: < 10
Mature Height: 20 - 60 feet
Leaves: Alternate, simple, oval, broad, thick and leathery, base subcordate to broad-cuneate, apex obtuse or somewhat acute, margin entire, lustrous dark green above
Flowers: White, urn-shaped, honey-like fragrance. April-May
Fruit: Ellipsoid or obovoid, orange-red. Edible fruit. Seeds ripen in October.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: Mature bark reddish brown, exfoliating, bark on stems smooth and reddish
Culture: Sun to dappled shade
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Native planting. Sunny edge. Lawn specimen.
Additional Information: Messy tree, sheds leaves and bark irregularly. But it's still a lovely tree. The inner bark was sometimes used by native North Americans to make dresses. A brown dye can be obtained from the bark (doesn't need a mordant). The bark is a rich source of tannin, which has been used medicinally and also as a preservative on wood, ropes, etc. The wood is very hard, durable in water, close grained, heavy, and does not split when it dries, making it good for carving and furniture. Also produces a fine grade of charcoal.

Alnus rubra

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Alnus rubra
Common Name: Red Alder
Family: Betulaceae
Type of Plant: Broadleaf deciduous tree
Habit: In the open, has a broadly conical shape with spreading branches. In the forest, has a straight trunk visible to a narrow, rounded crown.
Growth Rate: Fast
10-Year Height: > 20
Mature Height: 50 feet
Leaves: Alternate, simple, oval to rhombic, tapered from the middle to both ends, 8-15 vein-pairs, dull dark green above, grayish and pubescent on veins below, margin coarsely toothed, rolled under (revolute)
Flowers: Male (pollen) catkins in small clusters at stem tips. Female flower catkins visible in winter in small clusters below male catkins
Fruit: Mature seed catkins (cones) barrel-shaped
Buds/New Growth: Twigs triangular or rounded in cross section, buds stalked, 2-3 pubescent scales
Stem/Bark: Smooth, light gray, but usually almost white with lichens.
Culture: Sun. Tolerates infertile soil because it forms an association with a small soil bacteria, Frankia, resulting in root nodules that transform the tree into a nitrogen fixer. Likes moist soil.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: In the landscape, red alder is a favored host for tent caterpillars.
Landscape Uses: Fill in gaps in the landscape where soil is too wet for other plants. To harvest its awesome nitrogen-rich wood and leaves. To add nitrogen to the soil. Dividers along property lines. Erosion control. Firewood and smoking chips.
Additional Information: 

Abies procera

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Abies procera
Common Name: Noble Fir
Family: Pinaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen Conifer
Habit: Symmetrically pyramidal to narrow, bark shows resin blisters on young trees
Growth Rate: Medium
10-Year Height: > 10
Mature Height: 50 - 100 feet; can get over 200 feet in the wild
Leaves: Needles, blue-green, whitish stomatal lines on both upper and lower surfaces, hockey stick shape at base, spreading in two rows, flat, grooved above, rounded or slightly notched at apex (emarginate), crowned and curved upward, more or less flat on lower branches, but conspicuously 4-sided on mid and upper branches.
Flowers: Insignificant
Fruit: Cones 14-25 cm long and 7-8 cm thick, green when young, purple-brown when ripe; bracts prominent, long pointed, reflexed so as to hide scales.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: Twigs slender, reddish brown, and minutely pubescent the first few years.
Culture: Sun. Difficult to grow under lowland conditions unless in a cool, moist, but well drained soil.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Often grown as a Christmas tree.
Additional Information: 

Abies lasiocarpa

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Abies lasiocarpa
Common Name: Alpine Fir, Subalpine Fir, Rocky Mountain Fir
Family: Pinaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen Conifer
Habit: Crown narrow, dense, branches short drooping
Growth Rate: Slow
10-Year Height: < 6
Mature Height: 100 feet
Leaves: Grayish-green to light bluish-green, crowded, curving upward on upper twigs, sometimes 2-ranked, flat, stomatal lines on both surfaces
Flowers: Insignificant
Fruit: Cones erect, barrel shaped, grayish-brown, resinous
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Sun or part shade. Best if grown in a cool, moist situation in the Pacific Northwest.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses:
Additional Information: 

Abies grandis

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Abies grandis
Common Name: Grand Fir
Family: Pinaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen Conifer
Habit: Large, conical tree with slightly drooping branches
Growth Rate: Fast
10-Year Height: > 20
Mature Height: 100 - 200 feet
Leaves: Needles flat, spreading almost at right angles in 2 rows, crowded and turned upward on upper branches, often alternating short and long needles, apex notched, grooved, shiny and dark green above, silvery-white beneath, odor of oranges when crushed
Flowers: Insignificant
Fruit: Cones cylindrical and upright
Buds/New Growth:
Stem/Bark:
Culture: Sun or Part Shade. Adaptable with regard to soil.
Pruning:
Pests/Diseases:
Landscape Uses: Commonly grown as a Christmas tree
Additional Information: Roots deep and wide spreading.