Mahonia

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Mahonia
Holly1web.jpg
Mahonia aquifolium fruit
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Berberidaceae
Genus: Mahonia
Nutt.
Type species
Mahonia aquifolium
Species

See List of Berberis and Mahonia species

Mahonia is a formerly accepted genus of approximately 70 species of shrubs or, rarely, small trees with evergreen leaves in the family Berberidaceae, native to eastern Asia, the Himalaya, North America, and Central America. [1] They are closely related to the genus Berberis and as of 2023 the majority of botanical sources list it as a synonym for Berberis. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

However, there is still disagreement among botanists, and as recently as 2017 papers have been published arguing for the validity of the genus. [6] In addition, sources that are updated less frequently like the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS database have many plants listed in Mahonia. [7]

Most botanists prefer to classify Mahonia as a part of Berberis [8] [9] [10] [11] because several species in both genera are able to hybridize, and because there are no consistent morphological differences between the two groups other than the leaf pinnation (Berberis sensu stricto appear to have simple leaves, but these are in reality compound with a single leaflet and are termed "unifoliolate"; additionally their branched spines are modified compound leaves [12] ). However, recent DNA-based phylogenetic studies retain the two separate genera, by clarifying that unifoliolate-leaved Berberis s.s. is derived from within a paraphyletic group of shrubs bearing imparipinnate evergreen leaves, which are then divided into three genera: Mahonia, Alloberberis (formerly Mahonia section Horridae), and Moranothamnus (formerly Berberis claireae); a broadly-circumscribed Berberis (that is, including Mahonia, Alloberberis, and Moranothamnus) would also be monophyletic. [13]

Mahonia species bear pinnate leaves 10–50 cm (3.9–19.7 in) long with 3 to 15 leaflets, and flowers in racemes which are 5–20 cm (2.0–7.9 in) long. Several species are popular garden shrubs, grown for their ornamental, often spiny, evergreen foliage, yellow (or rarely red) flowers in autumn, winter and early spring, and blue-black berries. The flowers are borne in terminal clusters or spreading racemes, and may be among the earliest flowers to appear in the growing season. [14] The ripened fruits are acidic with a very sharp flavor. [15] The plants contain berberine, a compound found in many Berberis and Mahonia species which causes vomiting, lowered blood pressure, reduced heart rate, lethargy, and other ill effects when consumed. [15]

The genus name, Mahonia, derives from Bernard McMahon, one of the stewards of the plant collections from the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The type species of the genus is M. aquifolium . [6]

Species

The following list includes all species of the genus Mahonia that were accepted by Tropicos, Missouri Botanical Garden in 2016. For each, binomial name is followed by author citation. [16] [17]

Diseases

Some Mahonia species serve as alternate hosts for the cereal disease stem rust (Puccinia graminis). [18]

Related Research Articles

<i>Berberis aquifolium</i> Species of flowering plant

Berberis aquifolium, the Oregon grape or holly-leaved barberry, is a species of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae, native to western North America. It is an evergreen shrub growing 1–3 meters tall and 1.5 m (5 ft) wide, with pinnate leaves consisting of spiny leaflets, and dense clusters of yellow flowers in early spring, followed by dark bluish-black berries.

<i>Berberis</i> Genus of flowering plants representing the barberry family

Berberis, commonly known as barberry, is a large genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from 1–5 m (3.3–16.4 ft) tall, found throughout temperate and subtropical regions of the world. Species diversity is greatest in South America and Asia; Europe, Africa and North America have native species as well. The best-known Berberis species is the European barberry, Berberis vulgaris, which is common in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and central Asia, and has been widely introduced in North America. Many of the species have spines on the shoots and all along the margins of the leaves.

<i>Berberis pinnata</i> Species of shrub

Berberis pinnata is a species of shrub in the barberry family. Common names include California barberry, wavyleaf barberry, and shinyleaf mahonia. It is similar to the Oregon-grape, and is sometimes called the California Oregon-grape.

<i>Berberis repens</i> Western North American species of barberry

Berberis repens commonly known as creeping mahonia, creeping grape holly, or creeping barberry, is a species of Berberis native to most of the western United States and two western provinces of Canada. It is low growing shrub that spreads by underground stems. As a species it is well adapted to fire and is a very common understory plant in western forests. An evergreen species, it provides food to deer and elk in winter and can make up a significant part of their diet. The berries are eaten by birds and small mammals, aiding it in spreading to recently disturbed areas. It has found use as a xeric ornamental plant and has escaped from cultivation in areas beyond its native range.

Berberis decipiens is a species of shrub in the Berberidaceae described as a species in 1913. It is endemic to Hubei Province in China. The species is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN.

<i>Berberis oiwakensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Berberis oiwakensis is a species of plant in the barberry family, Berberidaceae. It is native to Taiwan, China and Myanmar, where it occurs at elevations of 600 to 3800 m. It has recently been found naturalized in South Africa.

<i>Berberis nevinii</i> Species of shrub

Berberis nevinii, known by the common name Nevin's barberry, is a species of flowering shrub in the barberry family.

<i>Berberis fremontii</i> Berry and plant

Berberis fremontii is a species of barberry known by the common name Frémont's mahonia.

<i>Berberis japonica</i> Species of flowering plant

Berberis japonica is a species of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae, native to Taiwan. Despite the name, it is not native to Japan, though it has been known in cultivation there for centuries. The wild origins of this species have long puzzled botanists, but wild plants in Taiwan, previously known under the name Mahonia tikushiensis, appear most similar to the cultivated forms of B. japonica.

<i>Berberis fortunei</i> Species of shrub

Berberis fortunei is a species of shrub in the family Berberidaceae, the barberry family, described in 1846. It is endemic to China, found in the provinces of Chongqing, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, and Zhejiang. It is grown as an ornamental in many lands, with common names including Chinese mahonia, Fortune's mahonia, and holly grape.

<i>Berberis dictyota</i> Species of shrub

Berberis dictyota, now reclassified as Berberis aquifolium var. dictyota, with the common names Jepson's oregon grape and shining netvein barberry, is a flowering plant in the Barberry family.

<i>Berberis gracilis</i> Species of shrub

Berberis gracilis is a plant species native to the Mexico, widely distributed from Tamaulipas to Oaxaca.

Berberis bracteolata is a shrub in the Berberidaceae described as a species in 1917. It is endemic to China, known from Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces.

<i>Berberis eurybracteata</i> Species of shrub

Berberis eurybracteata is a species of shrub in the Berberidaceae described as a species in 1901. It is endemic to China.

Berberis fordii is a species of shrub in the Berberidaceae described as a species in 1913. It is endemic to China, found in Chongqing and Guangdong Provinces.

Berberis monyulensis is a shrub in the family Berberidaceae first described as a species in 1961. It is endemic to Tibet.

<i>Berberis napaulensis</i> Species of shrub

Berberis napaulensis Nepali: जमाने मान्द्रो is a shrub in the family Berberidaceae described as a species in 1821. It is native to China and the Himalayas. This species is used medicinally throughout the Sikkim Eastern Himalayas.

Berberis schochii is a shrub in the Berberidaceae described as a species in 1913. It is endemic to China, known from the provinces of Guizhou and Sichuan.

Berberis ehrenbergii is a shrub in the Berberidaceae described as a species in 1847. It is native to the States of Chiapas, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz in southern Mexico.

Berberis sheridaniana is a shrub in the Berberidaceae described as a species in 1913. It is endemic to China, found in the provinces of Hubei and Sichuan.

References

  1. ↑ Flora of China Vol. 19 Page 772 十大功劳属 shi da gong lao shu Mahonia Nuttall, Gen. N. Amer. Pl. 1: 211. 1818.
  2. ↑ "Mahonia Nutt". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  3. ↑ WFO (2023). "Mahonia Nutt". World Flora Online. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  4. ↑ Ackerfield, Jennifer (2015). Flora of Colorado (1st ed.). Fort Worth, Texas: BRIT Press. p. 201. ISBN   978-1-889878-45-4.
  5. ↑ "Mahonia". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
  6. 1 2 Yu, Chih-Chieh; Chung, Kuo-Fang (2017). "Why Mahonia? Molecular recircumscription of Berberis s.l., with the description of two new genera, Alloberberis and Moranothamnus". Taxon. 66 (6): 1371–1392. doi:10.12705/666.6.
  7. ↑ Mahonia, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Profile, 4 November 2023
  8. ↑ Whittemore, Alan T. "Berberis". Flora of North America @ efloras.org. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  9. ↑ Loconte, H., & J. R. Estes. 1989. Phylogenetic systematics of Berberidaceae and Ranunculales (Magnoliidae). Systematic Botany 14:565-579.
  10. ↑ Marroquín, Jorge S., & Joseph E. Laferrière. 1997. Transfer of specific and infraspecific taxa from Mahonia to Berberis. Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science 30(1):53-55.
  11. ↑ Laferrière, Joseph E. 1997. Transfer of specific and infraspecific taxa from Mahonia to Berberis. Botanicheskii Zhurnal 82(9):96-99.
  12. ↑ Pabón-Mora, Natalia; González, Favio (2012). "Leaf development, metamorphic heteroblasty and heterophylly in Berberis s. l. (Berberidaceae)". The Botanical Review. 78 (4): 463–489. doi:10.1007/s12229-012-9107-2. S2CID   15401971.
  13. ↑ Chen, Xiao-Hong; Xiang, Kun-Li; Lian, Lian; Peng, Huan-Wen; Erst, Andrey S.; Xiang, Xiao-Guo; Chen, Zhi-Duan; Wang, Wei (2020-10-01). "Biogeographic diversification of Mahonia (Berberidaceae): Implications for the origin and evolution of East Asian subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 151: 106910. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106910. ISSN   1055-7903. PMID   32702526. S2CID   220731200.
  14. ↑ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN   978-1405332965.
  15. 1 2 "Mahonia Oregon Grape, Hollyleaved barberry, Oregon Holly Grape, Oregon Holly". PFAF Plant Database. Plants for a Future, Registered Charity. 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  16. ↑ "Mahonia". Tropicos . Missouri Botanical Garden . Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  17. ↑ "Mahonia". The Plant List . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 17 February 2016. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
  18. ↑ CABI (18 December 2021). "Puccinia graminis (stem rust of cereals)". CABI Digital Library. Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International. doi:10.1079/cabicompendium.45797 . Retrieved 4 November 2023.
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