Mahonia

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Mahonia >

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Read about Mahonia in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Mahonia (after Bernard M'Mahon. a prominent American horticulturist; 1775-1816; see Vol. Ill, p. 1586, for a biographical sketch). Syn., Odostemon. Berberidaceae. Ornamental woody plants grown chiefly for their handsome evergreen foliage and for their large panicles of yellow flowers. Usually united with Berberis. Evergreen shrubs, rarely small trees: lvs. alternate, odd-pinnate, rarely 3-foliolate, with minute subulate stipules: fls. yellow, in many-fld. racemes or panicles springing from the axils of bud-scales; sepals 9; petals 6 with nectaries at the base; stamens 6; ovary 1-celled with usually few ovules: fr. a dark blue and bloomy, rarely red berry, with usually few small seeds.—About 45 species in N. and Cent. Amer. and E. and S. E. Asia. From Berberis with which it is often united, it is easily distinguished by the pinnate lvs. and the unarmed branches, also by the large infl. springing from the axils of bud-scales and by the 9 sepals. Monograph by Fedde in Engler, Bot. Jahrbucher 31:30-133 (1901). The mahonias are very handsome evergreen shrubs spreading usually by suckers, with large leaves and yellow flowers in conspicuous panicles appearing in spring and followed by dark blue bloomy berries. Most of the species are tender, but M. repens, M. Aquifolium, M. nervosa. M. pinnata var. Wagneri are hardy as far north as Massachusetts, but the foliage is liable to be scorched if exposed to the winter's sun, though M. repens is more resistant and is rarely burned. M. japonica will succeed if planted in sheltered situations. M. pinnata is a most beautiful evergreen species, but it requires protection from cold winds, and the winter's sun. M. repens is the best evergreen species we have. It spreads rapidly and the foliage is rarely burned, and the numerous clusters of showy yellow flowers render it most attractive at the end of May. They prefer a humid soil and a position sheltered from strong winds and from the hot sun. They are easily transplanted and some, particularly M. repens and M. nervosa, spread considerably by suckers. Propagation is by seeds sown soon after maturity or stratified and sown in spring, or by suckers which are freely produced in most species, also by cuttings of half-ripened wood under glass and by layers. M. arguta, Hutchins. (Berberis Hutchinsonii, Rehd. B. arguta, Ball, not Schneid.). Shrub, to 5 ft.: Ifts. 9-11, lanceolate, entire or with few teeth: fls. in pendulous racemes, 12-16 in, long. Probably from Cent. Amer. B.M. 8266. Gn. 72 p. 481.—M. brevipes, Rehd. (Berberis brevipes, Greene). Allied to B. repena, but much smaller in every part: lvs. short-petioled; Ifts. usually 7, broadly elliptic-oblong, 1-1¾in. long: racemes short, few-fid. Alberta.— M. gracilis, Fedde (Berberis gracilis, Hartw.). Allied to B. pinnata. Lfts. ovate to lanceolate, finely serrate or entire, 1-2 in. long, lustrous. Mex., Texas.—M. haematocarpa, Fedde (Berberis haematocarpa, Wooton). Very similar to B. Fremontii, but the terminal 1ft. longer than the lanceolate lateral ones: fr. red. Colo, and New Mex.—M. heterophylla. Schneid. (B. heterophylla, Zabel, not Juss. B. toluacensis, Hort.). Possibly M. Aquifolium XM. Fortunei. Lvs. long-petioled; Ifts. 5-7, lanceolate, 1½-3½in. long, 1\3-1 in. broad, spiny-toothed, lustrous. Of unknown origin.—M pallida. Fedde (Berberis pallida, Benth.). Lfts. 9-13, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 2-3 ½ in. long, spinose, dark green above, grayish beneath: racemes compound, loose. Mex. R.B. 30:16.—M pumila, Fedde (Berbcria pumila, Greene). Allied to M. repens. A foot high or less: sts. upright, rigid, not sarmentose: Ifte. 1-5, thick, ovate to round-ovate, coarsely spiny-toothed, reticulate: racemea short: berries smaller, very glaucous. Calif., Coast Range.—M. tenuifolia, Fedde (Berberis tenuifolia, Lindl.). Lfts. 3-7, lanceolate, entire: racemes nodding, very long and loose. Mex. B.R. 30:26.—Af. trifoliolota, Fedde (Berberis trifoliolata, Moric. B. trifoliata, Hartw.). Allied to B. Fremontii. Lfts. 3, sessile, rigid, pale: coarsely spiny-toothed: racemes short, few-fld. Texas to Mex. B.R. 31:10. F.S. 1:56.—M Wilcoxii, Rehd. (B. Wilcoxii, Kearny. Odostemon Wilcoxii. Heller). Allied to M. Aquifolium, but Ifts. smaller, very coriaceous, oval or ovate with only 3-5 spreading spiny teeth on each side. Aris. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

? Mahonia
Mahonia japonica fruit
Plant Info
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Ranunculales Family: Berberidaceae Genus: Mahonia Nutt.
Species
About 70 species

Mahonia is a genus of about 70 species of evergreen shrubs in the family Berberidaceae, native to eastern Asia, the Himalayas, North America and Central America. They are closely related to the genus Berberis. 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. For more information on this consult the Flora of North America. Mahonia typically have large, pinnate leaves 10-50 cm long with 5-15 leaflets, and flowers in racemes(5-20 cm long).

The genus name Mahonia honors the Philadelphia horticulturist Bernard M'Mahon who introduced the plant from materials collected by the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

The type species of the genus is Mahonia aquifolium, (Oregon-grape) from the Pacific coast of North America. The species name aquifolium attributes the leaf to be holly like and means wet foliage.

Several species are popular garden shrubs, grown for their ornamental evergreen foliage, yellow flowers in winter/early spring, and blue-black berries. The berries are edible, and rich in vitamin C, though with a very sharp flavor.

Selected species

North and Central America     Mahonia aquifolium Mahonia arguta Mahonia dictyota Mahonia eutriphylla Mahonia fremontii Mahonia gracilis Mahonia haematocarpa Mahonia nervosa Mahonia nevinii Mahonia pinnata Mahonia pumila Mahonia repens Mahonia swaseyi Mahonia toluacensis Mahonia trifolia Mahonia trifoliolata

Asia Mahonia bealei Mahonia bodinieri Mahonia bracteolata Mahonia breviracema Mahonia conferta Mahonia confusa Mahonia decipiens 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 repens Mahonia setosa Mahonia sheniii Mahonia sheridaniana Mahonia siamensis Mahonia taroneasis Mahonia veitchiorum

Hybrids and Cultivars:

• 

  Mahonia × media
  (Cultivar)

• 

  Mahonia - Golden Abundance

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