• Washington's Hoh forest is a rare temperate rainforest ecosystem.Ryan McVay/Lifesize/Getty Images
  
  Marked by four distinct seasons, temperate forests exist across the middle latitudes of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Three varieties of temperate forest occur across the United States, providing habitat for a variety of native plant life. Although defined by their trees, the temperate forests also host a wealth of shrub and flowering plant species.
  
  

Temperate Deciduous Forest Plants

• On the Appalachian and Cumberland plateaus of the Eastern United States, a vast tract of temperate deciduous forest dominates the landscape. Several subecosystems occur within the region, including forests characterized by the presence of yellow buckeye (Aesculus octandra) and white basswood (Tilia heterophylla), as well as oak and hickory forest along the westernmost region. Defined by species, such as bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis), while bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) and American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), the western hickory-oak forest provides habitat for diverse understory plant life, including several species of dogwood (Cornus spp.), blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) and rhododendrons (Rhododendron spp.), as well as flowering herbaceous plants such as black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa), star chickweed (Stellaria pubera) and spotted wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata).
  
  

Temperate Mixed Forest Plants

• Temperate mixed forests exist in several areas across North America, particularly within the Peninsular mountain range of Southern California. Dominated by a mix of pine and broadleaf trees, the temperate mixed forest of Southern California includes species such as Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi), canyon live oak (Quercus chrysolepis) and California bay laurel (Umbellularia californica), a broadleaf evergreen species native to the coastal mountains of California. Shrubs such as chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum), California lilac (Ceanothus spp.) and manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.) cover much of the forest floor and open areas of the Peninsular range, creating a distinct ecosystem called chaparral.
  
  

Temperate Rainforest Plants

• The temperate rainforest of North America is defined by high precipitation and cool temperatures, receiving approximately 80 to 150 inches of precipitation per year, with temperatures between 35 and 55 degrees year-round. The Pacific Northwest is home to the largest tract of temperate rainforest in the Northern Hemisphere, occurring in broken tracts from Alaska to northern California. Moistened by summer fog, the temperate rainforest of Washington displays a great diversity of plant life. Dominated by tree species such as coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), coast Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii) and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), the forest provides a moist, shaded understory beneficial to plants such as western sword fern (Polystichum munitum), blackberry (Rubus ursinus) and Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium).