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Mahonia bealei

(Beale's Barberry)

Overview

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Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Beale's Barberry, Beale's Oregon-Grape, Beales Barberry, Leatherleaf Mahonia

Description

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Family Berberidaceae

Herbs or shrubs [trees ], perennial , evergreen or deciduous, sometimes rhizomatous . Stems with or without spines. Leaves alternate, opposite, or fascicled, simple , 2-3-foliolate, or 1-3-pinnately or 2-3(-4) -ternately compound ; stipules present or absent; venation pinnate or palmate. Inflorescences terminal or axillary , racemes , cymes, umbels (or umbel-like), spikes, or panicles, or flowers solitary or in pairs, flowers pedicellate or sessile. Flowers bisexual , inconspicuous or showy, radially symmetric ; stipitate glands absent (except in Vancouveria ) ; sepaloid bracteoles 0-9; perianth sometimes absent ( Achlys ), more frequently present, 2- or 3-merous, or sepals and petals intergrading ( Nandis ) ; sepals 6, distinct , often petaloid and colored , not spurred ; petals 6-9, distinct, plane or hooded ; nectary present; stamens 6; anthers dehiscing by valves or longitudinal slits; ovary superior, apparently 1-carpellate; placentation marginal or appearing basal; style present or absent, sometimes persistent in fruit as beak . Fruits follicles, berries , or utricles. Seeds 1-50, sometimes arillate ; endosperm abundant; embryo large or small; mature seeds elevated on elongating stalk in Caulophyllum.

Genera 15, species ca. 650 (8 genera, 33 species in the flora ) : widespread, well represented in the north temperate zone.

Berberidaceae presents several interesting biogeographic features. Achlys is disjunct from western North America to east Asia with few morphologic differences between taxa. Diphylleia, Jeffersonia, and Podophyllum, each with a single eastern North American species, exhibit wide disjunctions to east Asia. Caulophyllum has three species, one in east Asia and two in the flora. Vancouveria is endemic to northwestern United States with nearest relations to Epimedium Linnaeus (H. Loconte and J. R. Estes 1989b; W. T. Stearn 1938), an exclusively Eastern Hemisphere genus.

Nandina, Berberis, Epimedium, and Podophyllum are cultivated.

The perianth of Berberidaceae is commonly composed of three distinct types of organs, but terminology for the organs varies from author to author. In our treatment, we refer to the small, outer parts as bracteoles (collectively forming a calyculus) ; the large, middle parts as sepals; and the innermost parts, which are commonly nectariferous , as petals. Some authors have referred to the bracteoles as outer sepals and to the petals as staminodes.[1]

Genus Mahonia

Evergreen , unarmed shrubs , similar to the genus Berberis L., but leaves pinnately compound and inflorescence mostly a fascicle of dense spike-like racemes .

About 100 species, mostly in E. and S.E. Asia, N. and C. America; represented here by 1 species.[2]

Physical Description

Habit: Evergreen .

Flowers: Bloom Period: January, February, December. • Flower Color: yellow

Size/Age/Growth

Size: 6-8' tall.

Landscaping

Care: Deer resistant.

Habitat

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 1,158 meters (0 to 3,799 feet).[3]

Biology

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Growth

Culture: Space 4-6' apart.

Soil: Minimum pH: 6.1 • Maximum pH: 7.8

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade.

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b. (map)

Taxonomy

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Synonyms

Berberis aquifolium Pursh • Berberis piperiana (Abrams) Mcminn • Mahonia piperiana Abrams • Odostemon aquifolium (Pursh) Rydb.

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Mahonia

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 28 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

M. aquifolium (Holly-Leaved Barberry) · M. aquifolium aquifolium (Hollyleaf Barberry) · M. aquifolium var. juglandifolia (Hollyleaved Barberry) · M. aquifolium 'Compacta' (Compact Oregon Grape Holly) · M. aquifolium 'Golden Abundance' (Holly-Leaved Barberry) · M. bealei (Beale's Barberry) · M. dictyota (California Oregongrape) · M. fortunei (Chinese Mahonia) · M. fremontii (Algerita) · M. haematocarpa (Colorado Mahonia) · M. japonica var. bealei (Leatherleaf Mahonia) · M. japonica 'Hivernant' (Japanese Mahonia) · M. lomariifolia (Chinese Holly Grape) · M. nervosa (Cascade Barberry) · M. nervosa var. nervosa (Cascade Oregongrape) · M. nervosa var. nervosa (Pursh) Nutt. (Cascade Oregongrape) · M. nevinii (Nevin's Barberry) · M. pinnata (Grape Holly) · M. pinnata insularis (Island Barberry) · M. pinnata pinnata (California Barberry) · M. pinnata subsp. insularis (Island Barberry) · M. repens (Creeping Barberry) · M. siamensis (Siam Hollygrape) · M. swaseyi (Texas Barberry) · M. trifoliolata (Agarita) · M. x media 'Arthur Menzies' (Arthur Menzies Mahonia) · M. x media 'Buckland' (Mahonia) · M. x media 'Charity' (Mahonia)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 22, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Whetstone, R. David, T. A. Atkinson and Daniel D. Spaulding "Berberidaceae". in Flora of North America Vol. 3. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. "Mahonia". in Flora of Pakistan Page 2. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  3. Mean = 259.500 meters (851.378 feet), Standard Deviation = 318.490 based on 12 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 7/15/2012