Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) is more common at higher elevations in Eastern Lewis County, but these common plants in many places, are not so common locally.
Just when you think the final blooms of the summer have faded away, one more flower puts on a late season show in the local area.
Anaphalis margaritacea, or Pearly Everlasting, is a relative of many similar plants world-wide, but locally, there are only a few wild samples available for viewing. The most notable are just north of Winlock on the SR 603 roadside.
The plant is very common at higher elevations and are often observed still in bloom or naturally dried and preserved as the first snows of October fall around White Pass and other area mountain locations.
The dried stalks with their pearly-white heads are attractive and used commonly in floral arrangements.
The leaves and young plants were once used as an herb. Native Americans smoked the leaves as tobacco and as a treatment for throat and lung problems.
Pearly everlasting salve or poultices were applied to rheumatic joints, burns, sores, bruises and swellings. The plant was also used in medicinal teas to treat colds, bronchial coughs, throat infections as well as upset stomachs, diarrhea and dysentery.