Puget Sound Native Tree
Botanical Garden
People have created across the United States lists of the largest individual tree of many species as well as typical size of each in a mature forest. They call the largest tree a CHAMPION TREE, for bragging rights.
Cascara
rhamnus purshiana
Typical dimensions of a large tree of this species in a mature forest:
Height:
Diameter:
Champion tree for this species:
Height:
Diameter:
30 feet
10 inches
Dolphin Place
Original
Broadleaf Trees
Cascara
rhamnus purshiana
Click an image to enlarge, click again to reurn
A cascara tree (Frangula purshiana or Rhamnus purshiana) is a small native North American tree, known for its attractive yellow fall foliage, small greenish flowers, and purple-black berries that feed birds; its bark contains a powerful natural laxative, historically used by Native Americans and in modern medicine, but it requires careful handling due to its strength and bitter taste. It's a versatile understory tree in the Pacific Northwest, thriving in various conditions from moist to dry.
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Bark
This tree species was found growing at the following location when the property was purchased in 1973:
Exact data was not collected at the time. The following is data recorded in 2025.
Largest tree for this species within Dolphin Place Open Space:
Height:
Diameter:
10 feet (was 25)
2 inches (was 10)
Dolphin Place
Cascara
rhamnus purshiana
Leaf
Bark
Seed