Flora of North America species comparison

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Berberis aquifolium

holly-leaf Oregon-grape, mountain grape, Oregon-grape, shining Oregon-grape, tall Oregon-grape
Habit Shrubs, evergreen, 0.3-3(-4.5) m.
Stems

usually monomorphic, seldom with short axillary shoots.
Bark

of 2d-year stems gray-brown or purplish, glabrous.
Leaves

5-9-foliolate;

petioles 1-6 cm.
Leaflet

blades thin and flexible or rather rigid;

surfaces abaxially glossy, smooth, adaxially glossy, green;

terminal leaflet stalked, blade 5.1-8.7(-14.5) × 2.4-4.5(-5.5) cm, 1.7-2.5 times as long as wide;

lateral leaflet blades lance-ovate to lance-elliptic, 1(-3)-veined from base, base obtuse or truncate, rarely weakly cordate, margins plane or undulate, toothed, each with 5-21 teeth 0-2 mm tipped with spines to 0.8-2.2 × 0.2-0.3 mm, apex acute or sometimes obtuse or rounded.
Spines

absent.
Inflorescences

racemose, dense, 30-60-flowered, 3-9(-11) cm;

bracteoles membranous, apex rounded or obtuse, sometimes apiculate.
Flowers

anther filaments with distal pair of recurved lateral teeth.
Berries

blue, glaucous, oblong-ovoid, 6-10 mm, juicy, solid.
Bud

scales 4-8(-14) mm, deciduous.
2n

= 28, 56.

Berberis aquifolium
Phenology Flowering winter–spring (Mar–Jun).
Habitat Open woods and shrublands
Elevation 0-2100 m [0-6900 ft]
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Berberis aquifolium is the state flower of Oregon. It is widely used as an ornamental and has been reported as an escape from cultivation in scattered localities across the continent (Ontario, Quebec, central California, Michigan, and Nevada).

Berberis aquifolium is resistant to infection by Puccinia graminis.

Medicinally, various root preparations of Berberis aquifolium were used by Native Americans for stomach trouble, hemorrhages, and tuberculosis; as a panacea, a tonic, a gargle, and an eye wash; and to purify blood. Leaves and roots were used in steam baths to treat yellow fever; karok was used as a poison; and the tips of stems were used to treat stomach aches (D. E. Moermann 1986).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Parent taxa Berberidaceae > Berberis
Sibling taxa
B. amplectens, B. bealei, B. canadensis, B. darwinii, B. dictyota, B. fendleri, B. fremontii, B. haematocarpa, B. harrisoniana, B. higginsiae, B. nervosa, B. nevinii, B. pinnata, B. piperiana, B. pumila, B. repens, B. swaseyi, B. thunbergii, B. trifoliolata, B. vulgaris, B. wilcoxii
Synonyms Mahonia aquifolium
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept., 219. (1814)
Source FNA vol. 3. Treatment author: Alan T. Whittemore.
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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