MAHONIA / SPRING / SUMMER / AUTUMN / WINTER / EDIBLE
COMMON NAMES
Oregon Grape, holly leaved barberry
BOTANICAL NAME
Mahonia Aquifolium
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Root – Not of interest.
Stems/Bark – Brown, grey, corky texture.
Leaves – Pinnate leaves up to 30cm long, each leaf is made up of spiny leaflets which resemble holly.
Flowers – The yellow flowers grow in dense clusters.
Seeds/fruits – Spherical, dark blue berries.
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION
Kingdom – Plantae
Order – Rununculaes
Family – Berberidaceae
Genus – Mahonia
KNOWN HAZARDS
None known.
COULD BE CONFUSED WITH
Holly can look similar but its fruits are orange to red.
RANGE AND DISTRIBUTION
Native to North America, found mainly in parks and gardens in the UK.
HABITAT
Mainly found planted in parks and gardens but it can be found in the wild as an escapee.
EDIBLE USES
The berries when ripe are still quite tart but when cooked other sweeter fruits or sugar/honey make a delicious compote.
The flowers raw are nice as a garnish or just eaten on their own.
