Database of Palouse Forbs for Landscaping
(sorted by mature height)
Species |
Family |
flower color |
mature height (inches) * |
bloom starts |
bloom ends |
sun required |
soil moisture |
longevity |
sowing time |
transplant time |
Claytonia lanceolata |
Portulacaceae |
white |
02-06 |
3/24 |
5/25 |
part/full |
mesic |
mod |
fall |
fall |
Ranunculus glaberrimus |
Ranunculaceae |
yellow |
02-06 |
3/16 |
5/11 |
full |
dry/mesic |
short |
fall |
fall |
Sedum stenopetalum |
Crassulaceae |
yellow |
02-08 |
6/10 |
7/25 |
part/full |
dry |
short |
fall |
fall |
Viola adunca |
Violaceae |
blue/purple |
02-08 |
5/6 |
6/12 |
part/full |
mesic |
mod |
fall |
fall |
Collinsia parviflora |
Scrophulariaceae |
blue/purple |
02-10 |
4/9 |
5/25 |
part/full |
dry/mesic |
annual |
fall |
Dodecatheon pulchellum |
Primulaceae |
red/pink |
04-08 |
4/25 |
5/10 |
full |
mesic |
mod |
fall |
fall |
Mertensia longiflora |
Boraginaceae |
blue/purple |
04-08 |
4/12 |
5/30 |
part/full |
mesic |
mod |
fall |
fall |
Allium acuminatum |
Liliaceae |
red/pink |
04-10 |
6/12 |
7/1 |
full |
dry |
mod |
fall |
fall |
Hydrophyllum capitatum |
Hydrophyllaceae |
purple |
04-10 |
4/29 |
6/12 |
shade/part |
moist |
mod |
fall |
fall |
Lithophragma bulbifera |
Saxifragaceae |
white |
04-10 |
4/12 |
5/7 |
full |
dry/mesic |
mod |
fall |
fall |
Clarkia pulchella |
Onagraceae |
pink |
04-12 |
6/6 |
7/10 |
part/full |
dry/mesic |
annual |
spring |
spring |
Fritillaria pudica |
Liliaceae |
yellow |
04-12 |
4/1 |
4/15 |
full |
mesic |
short |
fall |
fall |
Lithophragma parviflora |
Saxifragaceae |
white |
04-12 |
4/29 |
5/23 |
full |
dry/mesic |
mod |
fall |
fall |
Collomia linearis |
Polemoniaceae |
pink |
04-14 |
5/29 |
7/7 |
part/full |
dry/mesic |
annual |
spring |
spring |
Antennaria luzuloides |
Asteraceae |
white |
06-14 |
5/20 |
6/22 |
full |
dry |
long |
fall |
spring |
Delphinium nuttallianum |
Ranunculaceae |
blue/purple |
06-14 |
4/10 |
5/23 |
full |
dry/mesic |
short |
fall |
spring |
Erythronium grandiflorum |
Liliaceae |
yellow |
06-14 |
4/12 |
5/17 |
part/full |
mesic |
long |
fall |
fall |
Collomia grandiflora |
Polemoniaceae |
orange |
06-18 |
6/20 |
7/10 |
full |
dry/mesic |
annual |
spring |
spring |
Sisyrinchium inflatum |
Iridaceae |
blue/purple |
06-18 |
3/24 |
5/25 |
full |
mesic |
short |
fall |
fall |
Eriophyllum lanatum |
Asteraceae |
yellow |
08-14 |
5/15 |
6/15 |
full |
dry |
short |
fall |
spring |
Phlox longifolia |
Polemoniaceae |
pink |
08-14 |
4/28 |
5/31 |
part/full |
dry |
long |
fall |
spring |
Antennaria microphylla |
Asteraceae |
pink |
08-16 |
5/23 |
6/10 |
full |
mesic |
long |
fall |
spring |
Besseya rubra |
Scrophulariaceae |
red |
08-16 |
4/1 |
4/14 |
full |
mesic |
long |
fall |
spring |
Erigeron corymbosus |
Asteraceae |
blue/purple |
08-16 |
6/22 |
7/22 |
part/full |
dry/mesic |
mod |
fall |
spring |
Eriogonum heracleoides |
Polygonaceae |
white |
08-16 |
5/13 |
6/13 |
full |
dry |
long |
fall |
spring |
Gentiana affinis |
Gentianaceae |
blue/purple |
08-16 |
7/23 |
8/20 |
full |
mesic |
mod |
fall |
spring |
Phlox speciosa |
Polemoniaceae |
pink |
08-16 |
4/28 |
5/31 |
full |
dry/mesic |
long |
fall |
spring |
Apocynum androsaemifolium |
Apocynaceae |
pink |
08-18 |
6/19 |
8/10 |
full |
mesic |
mod |
? |
spring |
Castilleja cusickii |
Scrophulariaceae |
yellow |
08-18 |
4/15 |
6/20 |
full |
dry/mesic |
mod |
fall |
spring |
Geum triflorum |
Rosaceae |
yellow |
08-18 |
4/29 |
5/31 |
part/full |
mesic |
short |
spring |
spring |
Astragalus canadensis |
Fabaceae |
white |
08-20 |
6/22 |
7/25 |
part/full |
mesic |
short |
fall |
spring |
Castilleja hispida |
Scrophulariaceae |
red/orange |
10-20 |
4/12 |
7/25 |
full |
dry/mesic |
mod |
fall |
spring |
Castilleja lutescens |
Scrophulariaceae |
yellow |
10-20 |
4/15 |
6/20 |
full |
dry/mesic |
mod |
fall |
spring |
Heuchera cylindrica |
Saxifragaceae |
white |
10-20 |
5/10 |
7/10 |
full |
dry |
short |
fall |
spring |
Lupinus sericeus |
Fabaceae |
blue/purple |
10-22 |
5/31 |
7/15 |
full |
dry/mesic |
short |
fall |
spring |
Galium boreale |
Rubiaceae |
white |
12-18 |
5/31 |
6/28 |
part/full |
mesic |
mod |
spring |
spring |
Arnica sororia |
Asteraceae |
yellow |
12-20 |
5/13 |
6/25 |
part/full |
mesic |
mod |
fall |
spring |
Camassia quamash |
Liliaceae |
blue/purple |
12-20 |
5/14 |
5/27 |
full |
moist |
mod |
fall |
fall |
Geranium viscosissimum |
Geraniaceae |
purple/pink |
12-20 |
5/13 |
7/24 |
full |
dry/mesic |
short |
fall |
spring |
Iris missouriensis |
Iridaceae |
purple |
12-20 |
5/13 |
6/10 |
part/full |
moist |
mod |
fall |
spring |
Lithospermum ruderale |
Boraginaceae |
yellow |
12-20 |
4/29 |
5/20 |
full |
mesic |
long |
fall |
spring |
Penstemon attenuatus |
Scrophulariaceae |
blue/purple |
12-20 |
5/29 |
7/10 |
part/full |
mesic |
mod |
fall |
spring |
Penstemon attenuatus |
Scrophulariaceae |
yellow |
12-20 |
5/29 |
7/10 |
part/full |
mesic |
mod |
fall |
spring |
Penstemon confertus |
Scrophulariaceae |
yellow |
12-20 |
5/31 |
6/28 |
part/full |
mesic |
mod |
fall |
spring |
Clematis hirsutissima |
Ranunculaceae |
blue/purple |
12-22 |
4/19 |
4/30 |
part/full |
mesic |
short |
fall |
spring |
Gaillardia aristata |
Asteraceae |
red/orange |
12-22 |
6/10 |
7/24 |
full |
mesic |
mod |
spring |
spring |
Hieracium albertinum |
Asteraceae |
yellow |
12-22 |
6/20 |
7/10 |
full |
dry/mesic |
mod |
fall |
spring |
Lomatium triternatum |
Apiaceae |
yellow |
12-22 |
4/1 |
5/31 |
part/full |
mesic |
mod |
fall |
spring |
Lupinus leucophyllus |
Fabaceae |
blue/purple |
12-22 |
6/10 |
7/20 |
full |
dry/mesic |
short |
fall |
spring |
Zigadenus venenosus |
Liliaceae |
white |
12-22 |
5/6 |
6/12 |
full |
dry/mesic |
mod |
fall |
fall |
Brodiaea douglasii |
Liliaceae |
blue/purple |
12-24 |
4/29 |
5/23 |
full |
dry/mesic |
mod |
fall |
fall |
Lupinus laxiflorus |
Fabaceae |
blue/purple |
12-24 |
5/31 |
7/15 |
part/full |
mesic |
short |
fall |
spring |
Penstemon deustus |
Scrophulariaceae |
white |
12-24 |
5/31 |
7/9 |
full |
dry |
long |
fall |
spring |
Solidago missouriensis |
Asteraceae |
yellow |
12-24 |
7/15 |
9/5 |
full |
dry/mesic |
short |
spring |
spring |
Gilia aggregata |
Polemoniaceae |
red |
12-28 |
6/20 |
9/3 |
full |
dry |
biennial |
fall |
spring |
Linum lewisii |
Linaceae |
blue/purple |
14-22 |
5/20 |
6/20 |
full |
dry/mesic |
mod |
spring |
spring |
Aster occidentalis |
Asteraceae |
blue/purple |
14-24 |
7/10 |
8/20 |
part/full |
mesic |
mod |
fall |
spring |
Geum macrophyllum |
Rosaceae |
yellow |
14-24 |
5/20 |
7/8 |
partial |
moist |
mod |
fall |
spring |
Sidalcea oregana |
Malvaceae |
red/pink |
14-40 |
6/28 |
7/15 |
part/full |
mesic |
mod |
fall |
spring |
Thermopsis montana |
Fabaceae |
yellow |
16-24 |
4/29 |
5/23 |
part/full |
moist |
short |
fall |
spring |
Balsamorhiza sagittata |
Asteraceae |
yellow |
16-26 |
4/14 |
5/23 |
full |
dry/mesic |
long |
fall |
fall |
Castilleja miniata |
Scrophulariaceae |
red |
16-26 |
6/23 |
9/14 |
part/full |
mesic |
mod |
fall |
spring |
Penstemon venustus |
Scrophulariaceae |
blue/purple |
16-26 |
6/6 |
7/23 |
part/full |
mesic |
short |
fall |
spring |
Potentilla gracilis |
Rosaceae |
yellow |
16-26 |
5/3 |
7/2 |
full |
mesic |
mod |
fall |
spring |
Wyethia amplexicaulis |
Asteraceae |
yellow |
16-26 |
5/13 |
6/28 |
full |
mesic |
long |
fall |
spring |
Achillea millefolium |
Asteraceae |
white |
16-28 |
5/23 |
7/24 |
full |
dry |
short |
spring |
spring |
Perideridia gairdneri |
Apiaceae |
white |
16-40 |
7/23 |
8/21 |
part/full |
mesic |
mod |
fall |
fall |
Helianthella uniflora |
Asteraceae |
yellow |
20-30 |
5/31 |
7/10 |
part/full |
dry/mesic |
short |
fall |
spring |
Potentilla arguta |
Rosaceae |
white |
20-30 |
5/31 |
6/25 |
part/full |
mesic |
mod |
fall |
spring |
Lomatium dissectum |
Apiaceae |
yellow |
24-48 |
4/9 |
6/6 |
part/full |
dry |
short |
fall |
spring |
Solidago canadensis |
Asteraceae |
yellow |
24-68 |
7/21 |
9/22 |
part/full |
moist |
long |
spring |
spring |
Heracleum lanatum |
Apiaceae |
white |
40-80 |
6/13 |
6/30 |
part/full |
moist |
short |
fall |
spring |
Veratrum californicum |
Liliaceae |
white |
40-80 |
6/15 |
7/10 |
part/full |
mesic/moist |
mod |
fall |
fall |
Skinner, D.M; Warnick, P. 2006. Database of Palouse Forbs for Landscaping. Palouse Prairie Foundation. Moscow, ID.
This database of landscaping characteristics for Palouse native forbs was compiled by David M. Skinner and Paul Warnick, April 15, 2006. It is a spreadsheet which allows one to sort by various plant characteristics such as family, flower color, mature height, bloom time, sun requirement, soil moisture requirement, longevity, and planting time. For further information on each species, refer to "Characteristics and Uses of Native Palouse Forbs in Landscaping" and "More Palouse Forbs for Landscaping", or to the individual species in the Palouse Prairie Foundation plant database.
Much of the data has been compiled from personal observations and data collection from plants growing on the Palouse. For some species and parameters, we had to rely on other sources. For those, the spreadsheet may not exactly reflect plant performance on the Palouse, but should still give a reasonable facsimile thereof. We will endeavor to obtain more accurate data in the near future for those species.
References:
Hitchcock, C. Leo, Arthur Cronquist, Marion Ownbey, and J.W. Thompson. 1969. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Seattle, WA. 5 vols.
Hitchcock, C. Leo, and Arthur Cronquist. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. Univ. of Washington Press. Seattle, WA.
St. John, Harold. 1963. Flora of Southeastern Washington and of Adjacent Idaho. 3rd edition. Outdoor Pictures. Escondido, CA.
USDA, NRCS. 2006. The PLANTS Database, 6 March 2006 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
Palouse Prairie Foundation
P.O. Box 8952
Moscow, ID 83843
palouseprairie.org