Mahonia aquifolium seed

Oregon grape

Latin name: Mahonia aquifolium

Oregon grape is an evergreen, hardy, small shrub from the west of North America that belongs to the barberry family.
Their fruits have a pleasantly sour taste and can be eaten fresh or cooked.
A refreshing drink can be made from water and these fruits.
There are several areas of application in folk medicine.
Yellow dye can be obtained from the bark and purple dye from its flowers.

Botanical nomenclature: mahonia aquifolium
Common name: oregon grape
Family: berberidaceae

Luminosity: half shadow, shadow
Height: between 1.50 meters and 5 meters of height

Ure do oregon is very used in gardens and explored landscapistically for its beauty and for its fruits.

The species is dry resistant, tolerated only poor, and is a low maintenance plant in gardens.

Its blue-arroxed fruits prepare tasty jellies and oregon grape juice can be fermented for the preparation of wine, similar to the european barberry.

Internal caules bark and its roots produce a yellow dye and berries a purple dye.

Your leaf is very appreciated by florists and lend your beauty in floral arrangements, are extraordinarily lasting and demore a long time to murcharem.

The plant is also used medicinally, their roots are usefully used as an effective alternative for the threatened “goldenseal” (hydrastis canadensis), both the plants have the alcaloid berberina, known as an antiflamatory and anti-bacterial for the treatment of infections.

Recent studies indicate that mahonia aquifolium decrees bacterial resistance to antibiotics and antibacterial agents.

The species prefere its farm in partially shaded position, soils rich and with good moisture, but that promotes good drainage.

Young leaves are harvested, passing the bronzes, transforming in green very bright and finally in a deep burgundy in winter.

Produce a beautiful spectacle in flowers during summer spring, a extraordinary set dense of small yellow flowers, attracting bees and birds and are levelly smelled. A beautiful contrast against red leaf, burgundy and bright green.

A shape of form, texture and colorful, indescribable, a perfect and dreaming exemplary, that attracts all attentions at any time of the year, which produces flowers, leaf and fruits in an odd set. A species we are proud to add to our collection.