gen: 2026/09/23:15:14 in 52.1 secname: Oregon grape
type: thingscientific name: Mahonia aquifolium
pts: 0confidence level: 93%
Generated
It is a Oregon grape.

Scientific name: Mahonia aquifolium.

An evergreen shrub typically 1–3 meters tall, with upright to spreading woody stems and compound leaves. Each leaf usually consists of 5–9 leathery, oval to lance-shaped leaflets arranged in opposite pairs along a slender central stalk, ending in a single terminal leaflet. Leaflets have pointed tips, prominent midribs, and sharply toothed, slightly wavy margins, each tooth tipped with a small spine. Mature foliage is glossy dark green, while emerging growth is coppery pink to bronze. Dense clusters of small yellow flowers appear near the shoot tips in spring, followed by rounded blue-purple berries with a pale, waxy coating..

Despite its holly-like leaves and grape-like berries, Oregon grape is neither a holly nor a grape: it belongs to the barberry family, Berberidaceae..

The dominant shrub has pinnately compound leaves with paired, glossy, holly-like leaflets and distinctly spiny margins. The copper-colored new growth and small bluish fruits visible within the foliage also support Oregon grape. The relatively elongated, shiny leaflets and upright, bushy growth favor Mahonia aquifolium over the generally lower-growing, duller-leaved creeping Oregon grape. Related species and garden hybrids can look similar, so exact species identification is slightly less certain than identification as an Oregon grape.

Holder
Enter the Arena

Please log in to comment