Coastal Plant Species of British Columbia

Common Camas

Camassia quamash (Pursh) Greene — Family: Asparagaceae

Common camas is among the most visually striking wildflowers of BC's coastal zone, producing dense stands of blue to deep violet flowers in Garry oak meadows, rocky slopes, and moist low-elevation fields from late April into June. Large populations on southeastern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands can turn meadow floors a vivid blue in favourable years.

The plant grows from a bulb, producing several grass-like basal leaves 20–60 cm long and a flowering stalk of equal height. Flowers are arranged in a raceme, typically six-petalled, with colour varying from pale blue to near-purple across individuals in the same population. The bulbs were an important food resource for Coast Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth, and other First Nations of the coast, harvested in late spring before the foliage dies back, steamed in earth ovens, and dried for storage.

Common camas can be confused with death camas (Anticlea elegans), which is toxic. Death camas has cream-coloured to greenish-white flowers and a V-shaped groove on its leaves rather than the flat surface of common camas leaves. When plants are not in flower, the two should not be collected. The bulbs are visually very similar.

Bloom period

Late April — June

Height

20–60 cm

Habitat

Garry oak meadows, moist rocky slopes, seasonally wet fields

Range in Canada

Coastal BC, primarily Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands

Caution

Potentially confused with toxic death camas when not in flower

Pacific Arbutus

Arbutus menziesii Pursh — Family: Ericaceae

The only broad-leaved evergreen tree native to Canada, arbutus is a defining feature of the landscape on rocky, south-facing shorelines of southeastern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. It is identifiable year-round by its peeling orange-red to coppery bark, which exfoliates in papery sheets to reveal smooth green or cream-coloured new bark beneath. The evergreen leaves are thick, glossy, and dark green above, pale below.

Arbutus produces clusters of small urn-shaped white flowers in spring, followed by bright orange-red berries in autumn that are consumed by band-tailed pigeons, varied thrushes, and other wildlife. The tree is exceptionally sensitive to soil disturbance and does not transplant successfully; established trees on private property that have survived urban development often represent decades or centuries of growth that cannot easily be replaced.

In Canada, arbutus is restricted to the coast south of approximately 51°N latitude, occurring primarily on Gulf Island shorelines and a narrow coastal strip on Vancouver Island. It is considered a species of concern in some jurisdictions due to a combination of habitat loss and armillaria root disease in urban remnants.

Form

Broadleaf evergreen tree, 5–25 m tall

Habitat

Rocky, dry, south-facing shorelines; Garry oak woodlands

Range in Canada

SE Vancouver Island, Gulf Islands, lower Sunshine Coast

Identification feature

Peeling orange-red bark; glossy evergreen leaves

Bloom period

March — May

Nootka Lupine

Lupinus nootkatensis Donn ex Sims — Family: Fabaceae

Named after Nootka Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island, nootka lupine is a robust perennial reaching 50–100 cm in height, bearing dense racemes of blue-purple flowers from June into August. It grows in a range of disturbed and open coastal habitats: gravel bars, stream edges, rocky shorelines, sand dunes, and avalanche tracks. It is most commonly encountered as a coloniser of recently disturbed ground along the outer coast and in mountainous terrain.

As a member of the legume family, nootka lupine fixes atmospheric nitrogen through root associations with Rhizobium bacteria, enriching soils and facilitating the establishment of other plant species. This nitrogen-fixing capacity makes it an important early successional species in coastal habitats where soils are poor or recently deposited.

Bloom period

June — August

Height

50–100 cm

Habitat

Gravel bars, rocky shores, stream edges, disturbed coastal ground

Range in Canada

Coastal BC, including Haida Gwaii; also Alaska border regions

Ecological role

Nitrogen fixation; early successional coloniser

Oregon Grape

Mahonia aquifolium (Pursh) Nutt. — Family: Berberidaceae

One of the most common native shrubs of the dry coastal forest understory on southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, Oregon grape grows 50–150 cm tall with stiff, holly-like leaves composed of five to nine leaflets with spiny-toothed margins. The compound leaves are evergreen, taking on reddish-purple tones in winter and on exposed sites.

Dense clusters of bright yellow flowers appear in March and April, among the earliest bloom times of any shrub in the coastal zone. The flowers are followed by clusters of dark blue-black berries with a waxy bloom, resembling miniature grapes, which ripen by late summer. The berries are tart but edible; they have been used for juice and jelly, and were an important food source for various First Nations peoples along the coast.

Oregon grape is a common component of Douglas-fir forest edges, rocky openings within Garry oak woodland, and disturbed roadsides throughout the drier coastal zone. The inner bark contains the compound berberine, which gives it a yellow colour and accounts for its historical use in dyes.

Bloom period

March — April

Height

50–150 cm

Habitat

Dry coastal forest understory, rocky slopes, Garry oak woodlands

Range in Canada

Coastal BC, southern Vancouver Island, Gulf Islands

Identification feature

Holly-like compound leaves; bright yellow flowers; blue-black berries