![oregon grape oregon grape](http://blackfootnativeplants.com/BlackfootNativePlants/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Oregon-Grape-685x1024.jpg)
Low Oregon Grape, Mahonia nervosa, is another common Oregon Grape in our region.
![oregon grape oregon grape](https://nittygrittylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/8145-1-1-768x1024.jpeg)
Some cultivated varieties have been developed. Relationships: There are about seventy species of Mahonia in Asia, and Central and North America, about 13 in North America. Horticulturists have consistently continued to use the genus Mahonia to refer to those species with compound leaves that give them a very different appearance from barberries. Mahonia is named after American Horticulturist, Bernard McMahon. Some botanists argue that the genus Mahonia is not different enough from the genus Berberis to warrant its own genus. Mahonia aquifolium is also known as Berberis aquifolium. This species is referred to as Tall Oregon Grape only to distinguish it from Low Oregon Grape, Mahonia nervosa. Other common names include Oregon Grape-Holly, Holly-leaved Barberry, Holly-leaved Oregon Grape, Oregon Hollygrape and Mountain Grape. Aquifolium literally means leaves that have curved hooks like an eagle’s beak ( aquiline is similarly derived). In fact, the species gets its name from the name for English Holly, Ilex aquifolium. Because of this feature they are often confused with holly. Names: Oregon Grapes have leaflets with sharp spines along their margin. The berries have been used (when absolutely ripe) for preserves.Tall Oregon Grape The Barberry Family–Berberidaceae.It is favored for its bright yellow flower clusters in spring, the dark purple berries in late summer, and the reddish green leaf color in fall and winter.Tall Oregon Grape has been used as an ornamental species for decades.It should be noted however, that Tall Oregon Grape can be slow to establish, and may require supplemental irrigation and weed control during the first growing season. It develops an extensive root system in time, making it a good soil stabilizer.It is well adapted to growing in drier, exposed sites, making it suitable for many restoration projects.Its berries are a favored food of many species of birds and rodents, and the young stems and leaves can serve as forage (reluctantly) for deer and elk.Tall Oregon Grape has numerous uses as a conservation species in the state.It is commonly found growing equally well as an understory species in mixed species woodland, or as a pioneering species in disturbed areas. Tall Oregon Grape is adapted to grow in a wide range of conditions throughout the Pacific Northwest. It can be found growing in soils that range from dry to moist and sites that vary from exposed to shady. Berries resemble grape clusters that change from green to bluish-black in late summer. Bright yellow showy flower clusters bloom in April to early May. Its growth habit can range from 3 to 15 feet tall, and spreading from 4 to 12 feet wide. Tall Oregon Grape is a broad-leaf evergreen shrub. Tall Oregon Grape grows throughout Washington from sea level to the sub-alpine Cascades.
![oregon grape oregon grape](https://staff.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Berberis-aquifolium-fruit-1.jpg)
Oregon grape full#
Don't give up on it! Give it a full year to recover from the transplanting shock. Typically after bare root planting in the spring, it will lose all its leaves and look quite dead. It should be noted that Tall Oregon Grape may require supplemental irrigation and weed control during the first growing season.