Summary ⁸

Mahonia aquifolium (also known as Oregon grape or holly-leaved berberry) is an evergreen shrub native to western North America and ranges from southeast Alaska to central New Mexico. It flowers in the spring with dense clusters of yellow flowers, ultimately transforming into dark blue berries. The fruit is known to be quite tart with large seeds.

Botanical Information ⁹

Berberis (Mahonia) aquafolium, also known as holly-leaved barberry and Oregon grape, is a flowering plant that is part of the Barberry family. Oregon grape is an evergreen shrub growing to 3 feet tall, with pinnate leaves consisting of spiny leaflets. It grows clusters of yellow flowers in early spring, followed by dark bluish-black berries.

Ecological Information ¹⁰

Oregon grape is native to the west coast and parts of the east coast of the United States and Canada. Its favorite habitat is in gardens, parks, forests, and spread out in the wild.

Ethnobotanical Information ¹⁰

The plant is medicinal and helps with eczema and psoriasis. The inner bark and roots can be used to make a yellow dye. Humans harvest its roots for medical uses.

Resources ⁹

https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=maaq2
https://www.herbal-supplement-resource.com/oregongraperoot.htm
www.wildfoodduk.com/hedgerow-food-guide/oregon-grape-hedgerow/

About the Author ¹⁰

Student author(s)*: Nevaeh and Matthew (age 13) from South Valley Academy

*The entries in this field guide have been edited by Yerba Mansa Project staff to ensure that they contain quality, fact-checked content and standardized formatting.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) John Rusk, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/john_d_rusk/14360034609/
2. (c) Debbie Ballentine, some rights reserved (CC BY-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/dballentine/4862324796/
3. (c) brewbooks, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/brewbooks/8110627712/
4. (c) Thayne Tuason, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.flickr.com/photos/thaynet/8652207705/
5. (c) Andrew Reding, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/seaotter/33116308944/
6. (c) Debbie Ballentine, some rights reserved (CC BY-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/dballentine/4862320988/
7. (c) Pat Schink, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.flickr.com/photos/9087308@N02/6811418072/
8. Adapted by caseynm from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berberis_aquifolium
9. Adapted by smiller33 from a work by (c) kristen_himm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
10. (c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• African Plants - a photo guide
• Atlas of Living Australia
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Calflora
• CalPhotos
• eFloras.org
• Flora Digital de Portugal
• Flora of North America (beta)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Go Botany
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• Jepson eFlora
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• NBN Atlas
• New Zealand Plant Conservation Network
• OregonFlora.org
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• USDA PLANTS database
• VASCAN by Canadensys
• World Flora Online

Range Map

(c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)

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