Shrubs

close-up of page green sagebrush leaves

NPS/E. Gelfat

Common Shrubs at Lake Roosevelt

 
big sagebrush bush with pale green leaves and thick branches

NPS/D. McConnell

Big Sagebrush

Artemisa tridenta

  • Woody evergreen aromatic shrub, grows up to 2 m tall

  • Grayish shedding bark on older branches, densely hairy young twigs

  • Gray-green leaves up to 1 inch long, with three lobes at the tip. Tiny hairs give leaf a silky sheen and prevent water loss in dry environments

  • Flowers small and yellow; grows in composite heads of 3-5 disk flowers in elongated loose inflourescences; blooms in late summer

  • Most widespread and abundant shrub in the shrub-steppe ecosystem

 
small, bright yellow flowers grow at the ends of a rabbitbrush bush.

NPS Photo

Rabbitbrush

Chrysothamnus nauseousus

  • Compact shrub, up to 3 ft tall, flexible stem branches covered in dense felt-like hairs

  • Long narrow leaves with dense grayish velvety hairs on both surfaces

  • Flowers are small and yellow in small composite heads of usually 5 disk flowers in dense inflorescences at branch tips

  • Widespread and common at low to mid elevations in grasslands, open ponderosa pine forests and disturbed areas

 
a shrub covered in small, pale-yellow flowers

NPS Photo

Bitterbrush

Purshia tridentata

  • Also known as antelope brush

  • Rigidly branched deciduous shrub, 3-6 ft tall

  • Grey or brown bark and twigs covered with dense wooly hairs

  • Wedge-shaped leaves with 3-toothed tips; hairy to wooly and silvery green on upper surface, greyish wooly below, edges typically rolled under

  • Numerous bright yellow flowers, funnel-shaped with 5 petals

  • Widespread and common at low to mid elevations in dry sagebrush grasslands and open ponderosa pine forests

 
a bushy shrub with narrow green leaves

NPS/D. McConnell

Greasewood

Sarcobatus vermiculatus

  • Deciduous shrub, common in the shrub-steppe ecosystem

  • Can grow between 2 and 9 ft tall

  • White bark and spiny branches; cone-shaped flowers form at the ends of small branches

  • Numerous bright green leaves are small, linear, and succulent

  • Deep roots tap into groundwater sources

  • Found in sunny, flat areas, dry streambeds, and arroyos

 
A small tree produces crimson to deep red fruit growing in clusters.

NPS Photo

Chokecherry

Prunus virginiana

  • Deciduous shrub or occasionally small tree 3-14 ft tall

  • Smooth bark, dark reddish to grey-brown

  • Leaves thin, broadly oval and tapering at both ends with sharply toothed edges and a pointed tip; dull green above, pale green above

  • Flowers small and white in long clusters at branch tips, faintly scented

  • Fruits are shiny, red to purple or black cherries; edible but with very astringent aftertaste

  • Found at low to mid elevations in open forests, grasslands, and clearings on warm aspects

 
The stem of a plant with four small flowers and a single light green round berry at the tip of the stem. The flower are white on the inside of the petals and pink on the outside. A few tiny pink and green buds are peaking out to the side of the flowers. B

NPS/V. Macias

Snowberry

Symphoricarpos albus

  • Deciduous shrub, 1.5-5 ft tall

  • Leaves opposite, elliptic to oval with smooth to wavy-toothed edges, sometimes irregularly lobes on young stems

  • Flowers pink to white, bell-shaped; in clusters near the ends of the twigs

  • Spongy, white, berry-like fruits in conspicuous clusters; considered poisonous

  • Found at mid elevations in open forests, thickets, dry rocky slopes and grassy openings

  • One of the most widespread shrubs in North America

 
clusters of white serviceberry flowers growing on shrub with round green leaves

NPS/J.Woerner

Pacific Serviceberry

Amelanchier alnifolia

  • Also known as saskatoon

  • Deciduous shrub to small tree, 3-16 ft tall

  • Stems smooth, bark dark gray to reddish

  • Often spreads by underground or creeping stems, forms dense colonies

  • Leaves thin and round to oval, with regularly toothed edges mostly on upper half; finely hairy below

  • White flowers with oblong petals, narrowed at base; in short, leafy clusters of 3-20 at branch tips

  • Fruits purple to nearly black, berry-like; edible

  • Widespread at low to mid elevations in forests on open, dry, warm slopes in moist gullies in grasslands and on disturbed sites

 
a cluster of small yellow flowers grows from a shrub with compound leaves with sharp edges.

NPS/N.Olson

Oregon Grape

Mahonia aquifolium

  • Evergreen shrub, 20-100 cm tall

  • Yellowish bark and wood

  • Leaves pinnately compound with 5-9 leathery oblong leaflets; glossy green above with spiny teeth along edges

  • Bright yellow flowers grow in clusters

  • Blue berries with several large seeds and whitish bloom, grows in elongated clusters; edible but sour

  • Common at low to mid elevations on dry plateaus, in dry to moist forests, openings and clearings

Last updated: April 22, 2024

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Mailing Address:

Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
1008 Crest Drive
Coulee Dam, WA 99116

Phone:

509-754-7800
Please leave a detailed message if no one answers your call. Our rangers are often out talking to visitors.

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