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| ## lewis' mockorange {#lewis-mockorange .Title-Header}                |
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| *Philadelphus lewisii* Pursh                                          |
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| Plant Symbol = PHLE4                                                  |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS Pullman Plant Materials Center, Pullman,
Washington

### ![](media/image2.jpeg){width="3.3805555555555555in" height="2.2916666666666665in"} Gary A. Monroe

@ PLANTS

##### Alternate Names {#alternate-names .Header-3}

mockorange, syringa, Gordon\'s mockorange, Indian arrowwood, wild
mockorange

##### Uses {#uses .Header-3}

Lewis\' mockorange furnishes excellent cover and habitat for wildlife,
providing good browse for deer and elk. It is not grazed extensively by
livestock but does receive fair amounts of use in some areas.
Palatability increases following resprouting from fire. Quail, squirrel
and mule deer also use mockorange for food.

Mockorange can be a valuable plant for revegetating disturbances on
steep, rocky, unstable slopes. It can also be planted in drier areas of
degraded riparian zones.

It is used as an ornamental in borders, screens and hedges. Other uses
include low-maintenance landscaping and recreational area plantings.

*Ethnobotany:* Native American used stems for making arrows, bows,
combs, tobacco pipes, cradles and netting shuttles.

##### Status {#status .Header-3}

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

##### Description {#description .Header-3}

General: Lewis\' mockorange, the state flower of Idaho, was named for
Captain Meriwether Lewis, who collected the plant in 1806. Mockorange is
a native, deciduous, erect to spreading shrub that grows to 3 to 10 feet
tall. Showy white flowers occur in clusters of three to fifteen. It is
extremely variable in vegetative and floral characteristics. Leaves are
opposite, simple, ovate to elliptic-ovate, with entire to remotely
dentate margins. Flowers are white, 1 to 1.4 inches across, with four
petals. Fruit is a small dark brown capsule. Seeds are small, averaging
5,300,000 per pound. Roots are fibrous.

*Distribution*: Lewis\' mockorange occurs in Washington, Oregon, Idaho,
Montana and California in the United States. It also occurs in Alberta
and British Columbia in Canada.

For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this
species on the PLANTS Web site.

*Habitat*: Lewis\' mockorange occurs on well-drained, moist sites. It
grows on deep, rich alluvial loams to rocky or gravelly loams. It is
commonly found on rocky sites, at the base of talus slopes and cliffs,
along streams, and seasonally moist draws. It is found at talus margins
in the Columbia River Basin. It occurs at seeps, springs and rocky wet
areas in the Crooked River National Grasslands in central Oregon.

Mockorange occurs from sea level up to 7,000 feet in the Cascade Range.
Lewis\' mockorange grows best on northern and eastern exposures.

Lewis\' mockorange is tolerant of moderate shade. It is an early to
mid-seral species, and is often present in seral shrub communities.

Mockorange tolerates fire and persists in forested environments where
fire frequency is 5 to 45 years. It resprouts from adventitious buds in
the root crown after top kill by fire.

Associated Species: Associates include alders (Alnus spp.), serviceberry
(Amelanchier alnifolia), red-osier dogwood (Cornus sericea), beaked
hazelnut (Corylus cornuta), hawthorns (Crataegus spp.), oceanspray
(Holodiscus discolor), hollyleaved barberry (Mahonia aquifolium),
ninebark (Physocarpus malvaceus), chokecherry (Prunus virginiana Oregon
white oak (Quercus garryana), baldhip rose (Rosa gymnocarpa), willows
(Salix spp.), poison-oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum) and others.

##### Adaptation {#adaptation .Header-3}

Soil textures range from coarse to medium. Soil pH is from 5.6 to 7.8.
Precipitation ranges from 14 to 69 inches annually. Sites range from low
to mostly mid-elevation.

##### Establishment {#establishment .Header-3}

*Propagation from seed:* Three samples of seed averaged 5,300,000 seeds
per pound. Seeds that were cold stratified in coarse moist sand for 8
weeks at 41^0^ F and placed in coarse sand medium at 72 - 79^0^ F
germinated at 64 to 72 percent. Fall sowing is an alternative to cold
stratification. Seedlings may be subject to kill by spring frost.

*Propagation from summer softwood cuttings:* Leafy softwood cuttings of
current season\'s growth can be rooted in coarse grade perlite with
bottom heat and mist. Cuttings were taken 4 weeks (May 20) after plants
fully leafed out. Cuttings should be treated with fungicide if needed
and then treated with .1% Indole-butyric acid powder (rooting hormone)
on the freshly cut ends before sticking. Rooting media should be kept at
approximately 75 - 77^0^ F. Room temperature should be 5 to 10 degrees
cooler. Mist interval used was about 15-20 seconds (on) per 20 minute
period. Rooting occurs in approximately 18 to 30 days when plants can be
transferred to a hardening table with mist. Time required to grow usable
plants in containers (10 cubic inch) is approximately 90 days.

*Conservation Plantings:* These plantings are usually done using potted
plants produced from seed. Plantings should be done early enough to
afford establishment of plant roots before moisture becomes limiting for
growth. Early plantings before the last spring frost should be done with
dormant plants. Plants with leaves are at risk for spring frost. Sites
should be prepared to minimize competition from grasses and weeds. Weed
barrier is one option for reduction of competition. Consult local NRCS
offices for specific recommendations in your area. Mice, voles and other
rodents can present problems in getting plants established. Physical
barriers (tree tubes) are useful for protection from small rodents.

##### Management {#management .Header-3}

*Native and Conservation Stands:* Mockorange is moderately tolerant of
browsing but heavy grazing by wild ungulates and livestock has a
negative impact.

##### Pests and Potential Problems {#pests-and-potential-problems .Header-3}

No particular insect or disease problems are noted.

*Other Pests:* These include rabbits, mice/voles and deer. Animal
repellents have been used with varying success. Physical barriers have
provided better protection from rodents than repellents.

##### Environmental Concerns {#environmental-concerns .Header-3}

None noted.

##### Seed and Plant Production {#seed-and-plant-production .Header-3}

Lewis\' mockorange is propagated via seeds, hardwood and softwood
cuttings. Vegetative propagation of cultivar material is recommended to
maintain uniformity of desired characteristics. Seed propagation is
ordinarily used where uniformity of plant characteristics is not an
issue, such as in conservation plantings. When seed propagation is used,
fall planting in outside beds or artificial cold stratification is
desirable to overcome dormancy and increase germination percentage.

##### Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) {#cultivars-improved-and-selected-materials-and-area-of-origin .Header-3}

The Pullman Plant Materials Center, NRCS, Pullman, Washington released
two mockoranges in 2002 as selected class releases. These were St.
Maries Germplasm (St. Maries, Idaho) and Colfax Germplasm (Colfax,
Washington). These materials both produced seed in the third year after
being planted. Average bloom date was June 26 and fruit maturity was
September 17 at Pullman, Washington. Both had excellent vigor, stem
abundance, cold and drought tolerance ratings.

St. Maries Germplasm attained a height of 59 inches with a 75 inch
canopy width in 5 years and a height of 79 inches and a 55 inch canopy
width in 10 years.

Colfax Germplasm attained a height of 66 inches and a 41 inch canopy
width in 5 years and a height of 87 inches and a 63 inch canopy width in
10 years.

\'Waterton\' was selected from the Waterton Lakes area of Alberta.
\'Blizzard\' was selected from the Morden Research Station, Manitoba.
Most of these cultivars are apparently meant for landscape uses.

Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil
Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone
book under "United States Government." The Natural Resources
Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading "Department of
Agriculture."

##### References {#references .Header-3}

Hitchcock, C.L. and A. Cronquist 1964. *Vascular plants of the Pacific
Northwest*. *Part 3: Saxifragaceae to Ericaceae* Seattle, WA: Univ. of
Washington Press.

Lambert, S.M. January, 1989. *Streamside revegetation*. Plant Materials
Technical Note 12 (Revised). USDA, Natural Resources Conservation
Service. Spokane, WA.

Carey, J.H. 1995; Harris, H. 1988 *Philadelphus lewisii* In: USDA,
Forest Service Fire Effects Information System Database.
\<[http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis](http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/saldru/all.html)\>
\[January 22, 2003\]. Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences
Laboratory, Missoula, Montana

University of Manitoba, Department of Plant Science *Woody plants
description.* \[March 4, 2003\]
\<[http://www.umanitoba.ca/afs/plant_science/courses/39_079/woodyplantsnotes/woody_plantsp.html](http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/fruit/bla01s00.html)\>

Shaw, N.L., E.G. Hurd and P.F. Stickney *Woody plant seed manual*
\<[http://www.wpsm.net](http://www.wpsm.net/)\> \[March 4, 2003\]

USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service 2003. The PLANTS Database,
Version 3.5 \<[(http://plants.usda.gov)](http://plants.usda.gov/)\>.
National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490

USDA, Soil Conservation Service 1980. *Soil survey of Whitman county,
Washington*

##### Prepared By and Species Coordinator:  {#prepared-by-and-species-coordinator .Header-3}

*Wayne Crowder*, USDA NRCS, Plant Materials Center, Pullman, Washington

##### Drafted 20 March, 2003 wac; Edited 21nov2003 jlk; 060802 jsp {#drafted-20-march-2003-wac-edited-21nov2003-jlk-060802-jsp .Header-4}

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

*The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in
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origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual
orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases
apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require
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large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA\'s [TARGET
Center](http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm) at 202-720-2600 (voice and
TDD).*

*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or
TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.*

*Read about [Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Convervation
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