Mahonia/Oregon grape

Note the green berries - they'll turn dark purple later. And they show you that it has already flowered during the winter. Highly fragrant yellow racemes. Nb this is not Mahonia aquifolium, but one of the larger leaved, larger flowered and fragrant Mahonias such as M japonica or bealii.

Mahonia bealii is becoming invasive here. It is interesting in a landscape, but the plants readily propagate along dry washes and creeks. It is establishing large, wild colonies where favorable conditions exist and seems to be particularly fond of lowland, heavily shaded hardwoods close to water.

Yes, an Asian mahonia such as that one and not any of the western North American species - people calling these "Oregon grape" appears to be a recent thing perhaps driven entirely by made up naming on nursery labels and listings.

To me 'Oregon grape' refers only to A aquifolium. Is that your understanding, bboy?

Since it's only a common name, it can apply to whatever you like :-)

Seriously, 'Oregon grape' is often applied in some manner to any of the west coast NA native species - Oregon grape to M. aquifolium, dull/longleaf/low Oregon grape to M. nervosa and creeping Oregon grape to M. repens.

One convention is tall Oregon grape for M. aquifolium and low Oregon grape for M. nervosa. Within this area, where only those two occur natively that works.

This post was edited by bboy on Tue, Apr 8, 14 at 17:06

Fascinating. Thanks.