PNW Native
Ranges from Southern British Columbia to the Sierra Nevadas, inland to Montana.
Shrub that grows up to 3 m/9 ft tall. Leaves are deciduous, alternate, 3-5 cm / 1.5-2 in long, oval, light green, and smooth. Flowers are white, fragrant, with 4 2-3 cm / 1-1.5 in petals and numerous yellow-tipped stamens. Fruits are woody, oval, 1 cm / 0.5 in 4-chambered capsules. (PM)
Mock-orange will grow in a wide range of ecosystems including rocky soils in brushy areas and more moist soils in forest edges and open forests. (PM) Lewis’ mock orange provides cover, thermal protection, and browse widely consumed by deer and elk during winters. Montana deer were found to browse mock-orange more heavily in the winter and barely in the summer. Rocky mountain elk and white-tailed deer eat also browse mock-orange during the winter to a moderate extent. Riparian shrubs were used heavily as cover and habitat by mule deer in north-central Washington. (C)
Mock-orange wood is hard, strong, and durable, and is free from cracking and warping when handled correctly. Usage of mock-orange hardwood for implements was most widespread amongst the Interior Salish. (PM) Lewis’ mock-orange was used to make many common implements such as combs, knitting needles, (NT) netting shuttles, tobacco pipes(C) bows and arrows shafts, sweat lodge frames, and gambling discs due to its strength and hardness. The wood used for arrow shafts and needles was traded to the Secwepemc tribe by the Upper Stl’atl’imx tribe. The Straits and Coast Salish would trim mock-orange bushes to produce long, straight shoots for arrows and needles. The flowers and leaves were used as soap, and the Okanogan timed their marmot-hunting season with the blooming of mock-orange flowers. (NT) The Cowlitz and Lummi made combs from mock-orange, the Lummi made netting shuttles, and most recently, the Lummi make sewing needles. The Snohomish and Cowlitz used a lather created from mock-orange leaves slightly crushed between the hands as a soap for their hands and bodies. The Saanich used the wood for bows and arrows, and the Skagit used the wood just for arrow shafts. (PM)
Lewis’ mock-orange is cultivated as an ornamental, but a European variety, P. coronarius, is more-widely planted in the Pacific Northwest. Lewis’ Mock-orange is the state flower of Idaho, and therefore it is illegal to pick the flower for export or sale within the state. (C )
[1] Carey, Jennifer H. 1995. Philadelphus lewisii. In: Fire Effects Information System, . U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/philew/all.html.
