dull Oregon-grape
Berberidaceae (Barberry family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Evergreen shrub from a rhizome; stems branched, erect, 10-60 cm tall, leafy; bark and wood yellowish.
Leaves:
Evergreen, hollylike, turning reddish in the fall, alternate, pinnate; leaflets 9-19, palmately nerved, with spiny teeth.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of clustered racemes up to 20 cm long; flowers yellow, the segments in 6's.
Fruits:
Clustered berries 8-11 mm in diameter, blue, glaucous, with a few large seeds, edible.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
369 | 0 | 1470 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
22 | 0 | 240 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
220 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 0 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
1251 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
CWH | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
CDF(196), CWH(823), ESSF(5), ICH(45), IDF(81), MS(2), PP(3), SBS(14) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Mesic to dry open slopes and open forests in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; common in SW BC, infrequent eastward in S BC; S to CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Mahonia nervosa (Pursh) Nutt.
Taxonomic Keys
Taxonomic Key to Mahonia
1. Leaflets usually 9-19, palmately nerved.....................................M. nervosa 1. Leaflets usually 3-11, pinnately nerved 2. Leaves more than twice as long as broad, mostly with 12-29 prominent spiny teeth; leaflets 5-11; plants 0.5-4.5 m tall.......................M. aquifolium 2. Leaves less than twice as long as broad, with 15-43 inconspicuous, spiny teeth; leaflets 3-7; plant 0.1--.6 m tall.........................M. repens |