I moved to a suburb of Portland, Oregon just over a month ago. Two hours from where I live is Coffin Mountain. Recently, I drove to the trailhead and hiked to the summit.
“The trail is steep, but the effort is worth it. This hike is especially rewarding from approximately mid-June to mid-July when the wildflowers are blooming.
The trail climbs steeply up an old rocky Jeep track for the first 0.1 mile, then watch for the trail heading off to your left. The trail climbs through forest and meadows with intermittent views of Three Fingered Jack to your right. Wildflowers include paintbrush, larkspur, and pentsemon.
After 0.6 miles you will emerge into a huge expansive beargrass meadow. Beargrass blooms in cycles, so some years the meadow is full of blooms and other years there are just a few. Even if it’s not a banner year for beargrass the views from this meadow are spectacular. On clear days you can see Mt. Jefferson peeking up behind Bachelor Mountain to the east, a view which improves with every step up the trail. You can also see Three Fingered Jack, Mt. Washington, and the Three Sisters. “
https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Coffin_Mountain_Hike

A little way up the trail is an area of exposed rock -scree. Growing on it are a number of plants including : Castilleja miniata, Delphinium menziesii, Helianthella uniflora, and a couple of Eriogonum species.




A little further up and in the shade, the yellowleaf Iris.

Higher up, the beargrass, Xerophyllum tenax, begins to grow in extraordinary profusion. BOOM !




How fortunate we are to have these wild places.
Below is a plant list compiled by Tanya Harvey.
Coffin Mountain Plant List
observed by Tanya Harvey as of 7/12/16
westerncascades.com * Non-native
botanical name | common name | family |
Abies amabilis | Pacific silver fir | Pinaceae |
Abies lasiocarpa | subalpine fir | Pinaceae |
Abies procera | noble fir | Pinaceae |
Achillea millefolium | yarrow | Asteraceae |
Achlys triphylla | vanilla leaf | Berberidaceae |
Agoseris aurantiaca | orange agoseris | Asteraceae |
Agoseris grandiflora | large-flowered agoseris | Asteraceae |
Allium crenulatum | Olympic onion | Amaryllidaceae |
Amelanchier alnifolia | Western serviceberry, saskatoon | Rosaceae |
Anaphalis margaritacea | pearly everlasting | Asteraceae |
Anemone deltoidea | western white anemone, Columbia windflower | Ranunculaceae |
Anemone oregana | Oregon anemone | Ranunculaceae |
Antennaria racemosa | raceme pussytoes | Asteraceae |
Antennaria rosea | rosy pussytoes | Asteraceae |
Aquilegia formosa | western columbine | Ranunculaceae |
Arctostaphylos nevadensis | pinemat manzanita | Ericaceae |
Arnica latifolia | mountain arnica | Asteraceae |
Asarum caudatum | wild ginger | Aristolochiaceae |
Berberis aquifolium | shining Oregon grape | Berberidaceae |
Berberis nervosa | Cascade Oregon grape | Berberidaceae |
Boechera howellii | flatseed rockcress | Brassicaceae |
Boechera retrofracta | Holboell’s rockcress | Brassicaceae |
Cacaliopsis nardosmia | silvercrown luina | Asteraceae |
Callitropsis nootkatensis | Alaska-cedar, Alaska yellowcedar | Cupressaceae |
Calochortus subalpinus | mountain cat’s ear | Liliaceae |
Calystegia atriplicifolia ssp. atriplicifolia | night-blooming morning glory | Convolvulaceae |
Campanula scouleri | Scouler’s harebell | Campanulaceae |
Carex sp. | sedge | Cyperaceae |
Castilleja hispida | harsh paintbrush | Orobanchaceae |
Castilleja miniata | scarlet paintbrush | Orobanchaceae |
Castilleja rupicola | cliff paintbrush | Orobanchaceae |
Ceanothus velutinus | snowbrush | Rhamnaceae |
Chamerion angustifolium | fireweed | Onagraceae |
Chimaphila menziesii | little prince’s-pine/pipsissewa | Ericaceae |
Chimaphila umbellata | prince’s pine/pipsissewa | Ericaceae |
Chrysolepis chrysophylla | golden chinquapin | Fagaceae |
Cirsium remotifolium | fewleaf mountain thistle | Asteraceae |
Claytonia lanceolata | western springbeauty | Montiaceae |
Claytonia sibirica | candyflower | Montiaceae |
Clintonia uniflora | queen’s cup, bead lily | Liliaceae |
Collinsia parviflora | small-flowered blue-eyed Mary | Plantaginaceae |
Comandra umbellata var. californica | bastard toad-flax | Santalaceae |
Cryptogramma acrostichoides | parsley fern | Pteridaceae |
Delphinium menziesii | Menzies’ larkspur | Ranunculaceae |
Dicentra formosa | western bleeding heart | Papaveraceae |
Dicentra uniflora | steer’s head | Papaveraceae |
Douglasia laevigata | smooth douglasia | Primulaceae |
Drymocallis glandulosa | sticky cinquefoil | Rosaceae |
Epilobium lactiflorum | white-flowered willowherb | Onagraceae |
Eremogone capillaris | slender mountain sandwort | Caryophyllaceae |
Erigeron aliceae | Eastwood’s daisy, Alice’s fleabane | Asteraceae |
Erigeron foliosus var. confinis | leafy fleabane | Asteraceae |
Eriogonum compositum | arrowleaf buckwheat | Polygonaceae |
Eriogonum nudum | bare-stemmed buckwheat | Polygonaceae |
Eriogonum umbellatum | sulphur buckwheat | Polygonaceae |
Eriophyllum lanatum | Oregon sunshine, woolly sunflower | Asteraceae |
Eucephalus gormanii | Gorman’s aster | Asteraceae |
Eucephalus ledophyllus | Cascade aster | Asteraceae |
Eurybia radulina | rough-leaved aster | Asteraceae |
Fragaria vesca | woods strawberry | Rosaceae |
Fragaria virginiana | wild strawberry | Rosaceae |
Galium oreganum | Oregon bedstraw | Rubiaceae |
Gayophytum diffusum | spreading groundsmoke | Onagraceae |
Gayophytum humile | dwarf groundsmoke | Onagraceae |
Gilia capitata | bluefield gilia | Polemoniaceae |
Hackelia micrantha | blue stickseed | Boraginaceae |
Helianthella uniflora | Rocky Mountain helianthella | Asteraceae |
Heuchera micrantha | small-flowered alumroot | Saxifragaceae |
Hieracium albiflorum | white-flowered hawkweed | Asteraceae |
Hieracium gracile | alpine hawkweed | Asteraceae |
Hieracium scouleri | woolly-weed, Scouler’s hawkweed | Asteraceae |
Holodiscus discolor | oceanspray | Rosaceae |
Hydrophyllum occidentale | western waterleaf | Hydrophyllaceae |
Ipomopsis aggregata | skyrocket, scarlet gilia | Polemoniaceae |
Iris chrysophylla | slender-tubed iris | Iridaceae |
Juniperus communis | common juniper | Cupressaceae |
Lathyrus nevadensis | Sierra pea | Fabaceae |
Lathyrus polyphyllus | leafy pea | Fabaceae |
Lilium washingtonianum | Cascade lily, Washington lily | Liliaceae |
Lomatium martindalei | Cascade desert-parsley, few-fruited lomatium | Apiaceae |
Lupinus albicaulis | sickle-keeled lupine | Fabaceae |
Lupinus latifolius | broadleaf lupine | Fabaceae |
Luzula sp. | woodrush | Juncaceae |
Maianthemum stellatum | starry false Solomon’s seal | Asparagaceae |
Mertensia paniculata | tall bluebells/tall lungwort | Boraginaceae |
Micranthes rufidula | rustyhair saxifrage | Saxifragaceae |
Microsteris gracilis | annual phlox | Polemoniaceae |
Mimulus breweri | Brewer’s monkeyflower | Phrymaceae |
Mimulus moschatus | musk monkeyflower | Phrymaceae |
Mitella breweri | Brewer’s mitrewort | Saxifragaceae |
Mitella pentandra | five-point, alpine mitrewort | Saxifragaceae |
Mitella trifida | three-toothed mitrewort | Saxifragaceae |
Moehringia macrophylla | bigleaf sandwort | Caryophyllaceae |
Nothochelone nemorosa | woodland beard-tongue | Plantaginaceae |
Orogenia fusiformis | turkey-peas | Apiaceae |
Orthocarpus imbricatus | pink owl-clover | Orobanchaceae |
Osmorhiza berteroi | mountain sweet-cicely | Apiaceae |
Paxistima myrsinites | Oregon boxwood | Celastraceae |
Pedicularis racemosa | sickletop lousewort, parrot’s beak | Orobanchaceae |
Penstemon procerus var. brachyanthus | small-flowered penstemon | Plantaginaceae |
Penstemon rupicola | cliff penstemon | Plantaginaceae |
Penstemon serrulatus | Cascade penstemon | Plantaginaceae |
Phacelia mutabilis | changeable phacelia | Hydrophyllaceae |
Phacelia nemoralis | woodland phacelia | Hydrophyllaceae |
Phlox diffusa | spreading phlox | Polemoniaceae |
Pinus contorta var. latifolia | lodgepole pine | Pinaceae |
Pinus monticola | western white pine | Pinaceae |
*Plantago lanceolata | English plantain | Plantaginaceae |
Polemonium carneum | great polemonium | Polemoniaceae |
Polygonum douglasii | Douglas’ knotweed | Polygonaceae |
Polygonum minimum | least knotweed | Polygonaceae |
Polypodium sp. | polypody | Polypodiaceae |
Prunus emarginata | bitter cherry | Rosaceae |
Pseudotsuga menziesii | Douglas-fir | Pinaceae |
Pteridium aquilinum | bracken fern | Dennstaedtiaceae |
Pyrola picta | white-veined wintergreen, pyrola | Ericaceae |
Rainiera stricta | tongue-leaf luina | Asteraceae |
Ribes lacustre | swamp gooseberry | Grossulariaceae |
Ribes sanguineum | red-flowering currant | Grossulariaceae |
Ribes viscosissimum | sticky currant | Grossulariaceae |
Rosa gymnocarpa | bald-hip rose | Rosaceae |
Rubus lasiococcus | dwarf bramble | Rosaceae |
Rubus parviflorus | thimbleberry | Rosaceae |
Rubus ursinus | Pacific blackberry, dewberry | Rosaceae |
Rudbeckia occidentalis | western coneflower | Asteraceae |
*Rumex acetosella | sheep-sorrel | Polygonaceae |
Salix scouleriana | Scouler willow | Salicaceae |
Sambucus racemosa | red elderberry | Adoxaceae |
Sanicula graveolens | Sierra snake-root, sanicle | Apiaceae |
Saxifraga bronchialis ssp. vespertina | spotted, matted saxifrage | Saxifragaceae |
Sedum divergens | spreading stonecrop | Crassulaceae |
Sedum oregonense | creamy stonecrop | Crassulaceae |
Selaginella wallacei | Wallace’s spikemoss | Selaginellaceae |
Senecio integerrimus | western groundsel | Asteraceae |
Silene douglasii | Douglas’ catchfly or campion | Caryophyllaceae |
Sisyrinchium idahoense var. idahoense | Idaho blue-eyed grass | Iridaceae |
Solidago canadensis | meadow goldenrod | Asteraceae |
Sorbus scopulina | western mountain ash | Rosaceae |
Sorbus sitchensis | Sitka mountain ash | Rosaceae |
Stachys rigida | rigid hedge nettle | Lamiaceae |
Symphoricarpos albus | common snowberry | Caprifoliaceae |
Symphoricarpos mollis | creeping snowberry | Caprifoliaceae |
Taxus brevifolia | Pacific yew | Taxaceae |
Trillium ovatum | western trillium | Melanthiaceae |
Tsuga mertensiana | mountain hemlock | Pinaceae |
Vaccinium cespitosum | dwarf huckleberry | Ericaceae |
Vaccinium membranaceum | thin-leaved huckleberry | Ericaceae |
Vaccinium myrtillus | dwarf bilberry | Ericaceae |
Vaccinium parvifolium | red huckleberry | Ericaceae |
Vaccinium scoparium | grouseberry | Ericaceae |
Valeriana sitchensis | Sitka valerian | Valerianaceae |
Veratrum sp. | false hellebore | Melanthiaceae |
Viola adunca | early blue violet, long-spurred | Violaceae |
Viola bakeri | yellow prairie violet | Violaceae |
Viola glabella | stream violet | Violaceae |
Viola orbiculata | round-leaved violet | Violaceae |
Xerophyllum tenax | beargrass | Melanthiaceae |