Plants

Seeing a hedgehog cactus in bloom is a rare and thrilling sight.

World renowned for its collections of fossilized seeds, leaves, and wood, the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument also features a unique collection of modern flowers, cacti, and plants that have adapted to the volcanic outcrops and steep, rugged terrain found in the semi-arid environment.

Many visitors come to see wildflowers in bloom at the Painted Hills Unit. Chaenactis and bee plants put on a flowery show in May when weather conditions have been favorable. The colorful yellow flowers against the orange and red backdrop of the exposed hillsides are stunning. Hedgehog cacti add their pink flowers to the show in rocky outcrops and in drainages.

50 to 200 year old juniper trees are scattered around the hills with sagebrush, shadscale, and mountain mahogany comprising the bulk of the shrub community.

Bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue, indian ricegrass, and needle and thread make up only a few of the many grasses that protect the soils from erosion and provide food for wildlife.

Two Research Natural Areas have been designated within the Sheep Rock Unit to protect nearly pristine plant communities once common to the region. The entire monument is fenced and some areas have not had livestock grazing for over 25 years.

The monument is making a strong effort to restore the natural process of fire. This allows the plant communities to continue to thrive under conditions similar to those that existed prior to the influx of European-Americans into the region 150 years ago.

The John Day River and two of its tributaries, Rock Creek and Bridge Creek, meander through the monument. Cottonwood, willows, and alder provide line these areas. Sedges, rushes, and reed canarygrass also line the river edge, providing important bank protection. The riparian zone may be a few feet wide to several yards wide, with many of the plants sending their roots down several feet to draw from the subsurface flows associated with the river during the hot summers.

 

List of Plants at John Day Fossil Beds
Grasses
Trees and Shrubs
Wildflowers

 

Use the following function to obtain a list of vascular plants at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument:

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

Select a Park:

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

Select a Species Category (optional):

All Amphibians Birds Fish Mammals Reptiles Vascular Plants

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Species attribute definitions

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