Plants

Several species of monkeyflower grow at various elevations throughout the park.

 

Surrounding the picturesque, deep-blue Crater Lake are over 180,000 acres of forests, meadows, wetlands, and pumice fields. Together these create the canvas of Crater Lake National Park which rises from 3,990 feet in elevation to 8,926. The park supports more than 700 species of native plants that thrive, in spite of a short growing season and the challenge to survive in soils derived from porous pumice and volcanic ash. Get a list of vascular plant species below.

Wildflowers are delicate splashes of color in the highest elevations but in lower elevations they grow profusely along rivers, creeks, and hillsides. The tallest trees are found along and up from the park boundary while the oldest trees hug the caldera rim. Rare plant species of conservation concern are protected throughout this diverse canvas.

The introduction and spread of invasive plant species is an ongoing threat to the Park’s biodiversity. Through re-vegetation and management of invasive species, park botanists are restoring disturbed areas back to their natural condition.

 

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  Forests

  These forests are mostly old growth and diverse. Explore the park's tree species list. Learn about the plight of whitebark trees.

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  Wildflowers

  impressive wildflower displays begin as the snow recedes and lasts until the first snowflakes return. Eighty photos to browse.

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  Meadows

  Meadows in the park are diverse—wet, dry, and somewhere in between. The most prominent meadow in the park is the Pumice Desert

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  Plants of Conservation Concern

  Plants that are rare, sensitive, or threatened in some manner need our help.

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  Disturbed Lands Restoration

  Impacts from road construction, infrastructure improvements, and hiking off trail create large barren areas that require special care.

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  Invasive Plants Species

  Even at Crater Lake there is an invasion of non-native plant species, also known as invasives and exotics.

 

Identifying and Listing

The vascular plant checklist available below is a good place to begin exploring and identifying the 700 native plant species known throughout the park. This NPS checklist utilizes the nationwide USDA Plants Database. Crater Lake botanists use Oregon Flora as their source for taxonomy, which includes species specific to the park and state.

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

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Species attribute definitions

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Visit NPSpecies for more comprehensive information and advanced search capability. Have a suggestion or comment on this list? Let us know.