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Mahonia

 
Mahonia

 
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Mahonia
 
 
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Mahonia is a genus of about 70 species of evergreen
Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant having leaf all year round. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage for part of the year....
 shrub
Shrub

A shrub or bush is a horticulture rather than strictly Botany category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall....
s in the family Berberidaceae
Berberidaceae

Berberidaceae is a family of 15 genera flowering plants commonly called the barberry family. This family is in the order Ranunculales. The family contains about 570 species, of which the majority are in Berberis....
, native to eastern Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
, the Himalayas, North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 and Central America
Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
. They are closely related to the genus Berberis
Berberis

Berberis a genus of about 450-500 species of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from 1-5 m tall with thorny shoots, native to the temperate and subtropical regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and South America....
. Botanists disagree on the acceptability of the genus name Mahonia. Several authorities argue plants in this genus should be included in the genus Berberis because several species in both genera are able to hybridize, and because when the two genera are looked at as a whole, there is no definite morphological separation.






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Mahonia is a genus of about 70 species of evergreen
Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant having leaf all year round. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage for part of the year....
 shrub
Shrub

A shrub or bush is a horticulture rather than strictly Botany category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall....
s in the family Berberidaceae
Berberidaceae

Berberidaceae is a family of 15 genera flowering plants commonly called the barberry family. This family is in the order Ranunculales. The family contains about 570 species, of which the majority are in Berberis....
, native to eastern Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
, the Himalayas, North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 and Central America
Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
. They are closely related to the genus Berberis
Berberis

Berberis a genus of about 450-500 species of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from 1-5 m tall with thorny shoots, native to the temperate and subtropical regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and South America....
. Botanists disagree on the acceptability of the genus name Mahonia. Several authorities argue plants in this genus should be included in the genus Berberis because several species in both genera are able to hybridize, and because when the two genera are looked at as a whole, there is no definite morphological separation. Mahonia typically have large, pinnate leaves
Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
 10-50 cm long with 5-15 leaflets, and flower
Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproduction structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds....
s in raceme
Raceme

A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate growth and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called Pedicel s — along the axis....
s(5-20 cm long).

The genus name Mahonia honors the Philadelphia horticulturist Bernard McMahon
Bernard McMahon

Bernard McMahon or M'Mahon was an Irish-American horticulturist settled in Philadelphia, who served as steward of the plant collections from the Lewis and Clark expedition and was the author of The American Gardener's Calendar: Adapted to the Climates and Seasons of the United States ....
 who introduced the plant from materials collected by the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

The type species of the genus is Mahonia aquifolium, (Oregon-grape
Oregon-grape

Oregon-grape is an evergreen shrub related to the barberry. Some authors place Mahonia in the barberry genus, Berberis. The Oregon-grape is not closely related to Vitiss, but gets its name from the purple clusters of berries whose color and slightly dusted appearance is reminiscent of grapes....
) from the Pacific coast
Pacific Coast

A country's Pacific coast is the part of its coast facing the Pacific Ocean....
 of North America. The species name aquifolium attributes the leaf to be holly like and means wet foliage.

Several species are popular garden
Garden

A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials....
 shrubs, grown for their ornamental evergreen foliage, yellow flowers in winter/early spring, and blue-black berries
Berry

In everyday English, a berry is a broad term for any small edible fruit. Most berries are juicy, round or semi-oblong, brightly coloured, sweet or sour, and don't have a stone or pit....
. The berries are edible, and rich in vitamin C
Vitamin C

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is an essential nutrient for humans, a large number of simian species, a small number of other mammalian species , a few species of birds, and some fish....
, though with a very sharp flavor.

Selected species

North and Central America    
  • Mahonia aquifolium
    Oregon-grape

    Oregon-grape is an evergreen shrub related to the barberry. Some authors place Mahonia in the barberry genus, Berberis. The Oregon-grape is not closely related to Vitiss, but gets its name from the purple clusters of berries whose color and slightly dusted appearance is reminiscent of grapes....
  • Mahonia arguta
  • Mahonia dictyota
  • Mahonia eutriphylla
  • Mahonia fremontii
    Mahonia fremontii

    Mahonia fremontii is a species of Mahonia known by the common name Fr?mont's mahonia. It is native to the southwestern United States and parts of Mexico, where it grows in chaparral and other open habitat....
  • Mahonia gracilis
  • Mahonia haematocarpa
    Mahonia haematocarpa

    Mahonia haematocarpa is a species of Mahonia known by the common name red barberry. It is also sometimes called algerita, but that name is more often applied to its relative, Mahonia trifoliolata....
  • Mahonia nervosa
  • Mahonia nevinii
    Mahonia nevinii

    Mahonia nevinii is a species of flowering shrub in the Berberidaceae known by the common name Nevin's barberry. This plant is Endemism to southern California, where it is known from very few occurrences in the chaparral of inland canyons and foothills....
  • Mahonia pinnata
  • Mahonia pumila
  • Mahonia repens
  • Mahonia swaseyi
  • Mahonia toluacensis
  • Mahonia trifolia
  • Mahonia trifoliolata
    Mahonia trifoliolata

    Agarita is a rounded evergreen shrub in the family Berberidaceae. It is also called Agrito, Algerita, Currant-of-Texas, Wild Currant, or Chaparral Berry....
 Asia
  • Mahonia bealei
  • Mahonia bodinieri
  • Mahonia bracteolata
  • Mahonia breviracema
  • Mahonia conferta
    Mahonia conferta

    Mahonia conferta is a species of plant in the Berberidaceae family. It is Endemism to China. Category:Flora of China...
  • Mahonia confusa
  • Mahonia decipiens
    Mahonia decipiens

    Mahonia decipiens is a species of plant in the Berberidaceae family. It is Endemism to China. Category:Flora of China...
  • Mahonia duclouxiana
  • Mahonia eurybracteata
  • Mahonia fordii
  • Mahonia fortunei
  • Mahonia gracillipes
  • Mahonia hancockiana
  • Mahonia japonica
  • Mahonia leptodonta
  • Mahonia lomariifolia
  • Mahonia longibracteata
  • Mahonia mairei
  • Mahonia monyulensis
  • Mahonia napaulensis
  • Mahonia nitens
  • Mahonia oiwakensis
    Mahonia oiwakensis

    Mahonia oiwakensis is a species of plant in the Berberidaceae family. It is Endemism to Taiwan. Category:Flora of Taiwan...
  • Mahonia repens
  • Mahonia setosa
  • Mahonia sheniii
  • Mahonia sheridaniana
  • Mahonia siamensis
  • Mahonia taroneasis
  • Mahonia veitchiorum


Hybrids and Cultivars:


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