Native Garden Plant Factsheets

Oceanspray (KÁȾEȽĆ / q̕ét̕ᶿəɬč)

Illustration by Yuerong Fu

English Name(s): Oceanspray, also Creambush, & Ironwood
Scientific Name: Holodiscus Discolor
SENĆOŦEN Name: KÁȾEȽĆ (shrub)
lək̓ʷəŋən Name: q̕ét̕ᶿəɬč (shrub)

Fun Facts:
This plant grows from between 1m tall in harsh sites to 7m tall in open coastal forests, but most grow to 4m in the Pacific Northwest. It usually has several main rigid arching stems with brownish bark from which hairy, toothed, egg-shaped (3-6cm) leaves alternate. The small (0.5cm) white/cream flowers grow in lilac-like clusters 10-17cm long, before turning brown in the winter.

The name ironwood is given for the strength and hardness of its wood.

Traditional Uses:
The wood can be made harder by heating it over a fire before being turned into sticks for digging, scraping, or barbecuing, shafts for arrows, spears, or harpoons, needles for cattail mats or knitting, fishing hooks, and canoe paddles. When nails were unavailable, oceanspray pegs could be used for construction. The fruit clusters were used to make an infusion for diarrhea, measles, chickenpox, or anemia while the full bloom represents the best time to start fishing for sockeye salmon.

Blooms: June to July
Season: Late Summer
Habitat: Open sites in low to middle elevations such as open woods, thickets, coastal bluffs, ravine edges, and disturbed areas from logging, burning, clearnings, or roads
Range: From Southern British Columbia to Southern California, and east to Montana, Colorado, and New Mexico

Further Sources:

https://nativeplantspnw.com/ocean-spray-holodiscus-discolor/
Saanich Ethnobotany by Nancy J. Turner & Richard J. Hebda
Plants of Coastal British Columbia by Jim Pojar & Andy MacKinnon

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