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Mahonia aquifolium

Mahonia aquifolium

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Order
Ranunculales
Family
Berberidaceae
Genus
Mahonia
Species
Mahonia aquifolium
Synonyms
holly-leaved barberry

Habitat / Home / Areal

Native to North America and East Asia.

Botanical description

Habitus: Shrubs with dense young, yellow in cross-section.

Leaf: Leaves are alternate, feathery, with a smooth and prickly leaf margin, coppery in autumn (when exposed to cold temperatures). 

Flower: Yellow flowers are in clusters or panicles, dense. They flower in April or May. 

Fruit: Fruit is dark blue, ripens in autumn.

Growth conditions / Cultivation / Care

Hardy overwintering species. Thrives in shade or full sun. Prune when partially frost hardened.

Use / Function and landscape

  • Solitary plantings
  • floriculture
  • Group planting
  • ground covering

Special use

Green urban areas

Reproduction

Seeding, grafting, root suckers and tubers.

Varieties

M. aquifolium ‘Charity’