Seasonal Wild Flowers

Latin name

Mahonia japonica (According to Wikepedia it was

renamed as Berberis japonica in 2023)

Other names

Japanese Mahonia

Family

Berberidaceae 

Flowering season

November to March

English distribution

It is grown in garden throughout the UK. The escape is also

similarly scattered.

For a map see the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland –

Japanese Oregon-grape

Habitat

It is a native of Taiwan and is grown extensively in gardens

in the UK.

It persists in the wild and, although invasive in some parts

of the world, it is not thought to be so in the UK.

Description

Japanese Oregon-grape is an evergreen shrub growing up

to 2m.

Flowers are in spikes up to 25cm.

Flowers are bright yellow and made up of a whorled

perianth segments. The outer 2 whorls (3 segments

each) are sepaloid and the inner whorls, petaloid.

There are 6 yellow stamens with yellow anthers.

The ovary is hypogynous and bottle-shaped. The style is

short and the stigma capitate.

The fruits are berries which develop in spring and change

from green to blueish purple.

The foliage is pinnate, glossy dark green above, paler

beneath  and sharply toothed.

Each leaf has six to eight pairs of leaflets with a

single terminal leaflet. Leaves are mainly green but 

some are shades of red.

The smaller stems are green and the larger trunks

are grey. Unlike other Berberidaceae they don't have 

thorns.