Plants

Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) bark and its needles

Douglas fir

Douglas fir trees are one type of tree that are very abundant throughout Lincoln Park. How do identify a Douglas fir tree is not hard but does take time getting used to. The bark is a good way to identify the
tree. For this tree the bark is very furrowed and its leaves are flat needles that lay all around the twig. If you can fina a cone of this tree it is also a good way to identify it. The cones have 3 bracts that look like the ends of mice.

Western Red Cedar's (Thuja plicata) bark and leaves

Western Red Cedar

Western Red cedars are another type of tree that can be found at Lincoln Park and many other areas of the Pacific Northwest Region. The bark is also a great way to identify this tree. It's bark is fibrous and stripy, the color has a brown-reddish tone. The leaves of this tree is also a great way to identify it. A westen red cedars leaves are not like those of grand fir or douglas fir. They are scaly and run opposite of each other.

 Western Hemlock(Tsuga heterophylla) growing on an old stump

Western Hemlock


Western Hemlocks are usually found all over the Pacific Northwest Region as well as at this park. How to tell Western Hemlock apart from other trees are the tops of the tree. If you are able to see the top of this tree, it droops down, and when it does it's a good indicator that this tree is a Western Hemlock! You can also see it's cones. They are fairly small and are elliptical in shape and usually hang down. These trees usually grow on old stumps and logs that have fallen.

Small Indian Plum ( Oemleria cerasiformis) found at Lincoln Park 

Indian Plum


A plant that is one of my favorites is Indian Plum. I really like this plant because when you gently take a leaf off of the plant and crush it, it smells like fresh cucumbers! This is also a good way to tell that the plant you are seeing is an Indian Plum. This plant is a small shrub/ tree and has elliptical leaves in shape, the bark is dark brown- purplish color.

Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) and it's berries forming

Salmonberry & Thimbleberry

Salmonberry and Thimbleberry are also my other favorites found at the park. These are both shrubs and sometimes found growing next to each other. Salmonberry has leaves that are 3-5 lobed and has thorns on its branches, and stems of the plant. When Spring comes around, the flowers of this plant starts to bloom and they have a very pretty fuchsia color on its 5 pedals. Later in the spring the berries start to bloom and they have a crimson-yellow color to them and they are edible.

Thimbleberry(Rubus parviflorus) and it's white flowers

Thimbleberry has leaves that 5 lobed and fine hairs on both top and bottom of the leaf making it really soft to the touch. In the spring the flowers also start to bloom, but they are white in color and have 5 rounded pedals. The berries on this plant when they bloom are cup shaped and crimson in color.

Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum)

Sword Fern

 Sword Ferns can be found everywhere at Lincoln Park. They have fronds that are pinnate and tapers off at both ends. It has fine toothed leaflets that are evergreen. The stalks are lightish brown in color and underneath the leaflets are round sori. Sword ferns usually grow underneath trees or near trees. If there are an abundant amount of sword ferns around it is known that the soil is rich in nitrogen!

Artist's Conk (Ganoderma applanatum) 

Artist's conk

There is not a lot of fungi that is found around Lincoln Park, but you can find Artist's conk! You should look near the base of trees to find these. They grow directly on the wood of trees and these fungi are hard, not your typical mushroom texture. An Artist's conk has various brown to gray colors on its cap and than a white colored outlined that continues to it's white colored spores. The cap is flat to somewhat convex in shape, it is a little wrinkly and smooth in texture. On the spores if you scratch the surface it will turn to a brown color, thus Artist's conk!

Licorice fern Polypodium glycrrhiza

Licorice Fern

Licorice ferns are a lot smaller then sword ferns or other ferns. Licorice ferns tend to grow on top of logs and or on the trunks of trees. The root of this plant is edible and has a taste of black licorice. Why do licorice ferns grow on other existing logs or trees? Well they are epiphytes and need to feed on other plants or organisms to live and survive. They prefer deciduous trees like Big Leaf Maples.