Oregon Grape
Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolia sp.) is a woody evergreen shrub.
- Tall oregon grape is the species found through the Interior of BC.
- From rhizomes, multiple stiff stems grow from 0.5 to 2.5 m tall.
- The leaves are holly-like, pinnate (opposite), glossy-green, and leathery.
- Clusters of yellow flowers appear in spring.
- The flowers have six petals, enclosed in 6 sepals, and has 6 stamens.
- All photos by the author. Click an image for a lightbox view.
- After flowering, clusters of blue berries form. The berries are edible, tart, and seedy.
- Oregon grape is pollinated by bees and other insects.
- The berries are eaten by birds and forest mammals. The shrub provides cover for small forest animals.
- It can be propagated from seeds, cuttings, or divisions. We have successfully transplanted root divisions several times. The shrub spreads and can be a bit invasive, but we dig down to remove rhizomes that try to go past the perimeter each year.
- Oregon grape is drought tolerant.
- We encounter Oregon grape in the grasslands, mainly in gullies, depressions, or on north-facing slopes, and at mid-elevations in Douglas fir forests, as well as in the pine forests at higher elevations.