Mahonia is a genus of approximately 70 species of evergreen shrubs and, rarely, small trees in the family Berberidaceae, native to eastern Asia, the Himalaya, North and Central America. They are closely related to the genus Berberis and botanists disagree on whether to recognize a separate Mahonia. Many botanists prefer to classify Mahonia as a part of Berberis 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. 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, and Moranothamnus ; a broadly-circumscribed Berberis would also be monophyletic.
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.
Mahonia repens commonly known as creeping mahonia, creeping Oregon grape, creeping barberry, or prostrate barberry, is a species of Mahonia native to the Rocky Mountains and westward areas of North America, from British Columbia and Alberta in the north through Arizona and New Mexico, then into northwest Mexico by some reports. It is also found in many areas of California and the Great Basin region in Nevada.
Berberis piperiana is a shrub native to the mountains of northern California and southwestern Oregon. It is found in open and wooded slopes at elevations of 900–1,700 m (3,000–5,600 ft).
Berberis pimana is a species of the genus Berberis in the family Berberidaceae. It is native to a mountainous region of the Sierra Madre Occidental in the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora.
Berberis chochoco is an evergreen shrub or small tree up to 9 m (30 ft) tall, in the genus Berberis, family Berberidaceae. It is native to mountainous regions of northeastern Mexico, in the states of Nuevo León, Veracruz, and San Luis Potosí.
Berberis harrisoniana is a rare species of flowering plant in the barberry family, Berberidaceae. It is known by the common names Kofa barberry, Kofa Mountain barberry, Harrison's barberry, and red barberry.
Berberis swaseyi is a rare species of barberry endemic to the Edwards Plateau region of Texas. It grows in limestone ridges and canyons. The species is evergreen, with thick, rigid, 5-9-foliolate leaves. Berries are dry or juicy, white to red, about 9–16 mm in diam.
Berberis haematocarpa, Woot. with the common names red barberry, red Mexican barbery, Colorado barberry and Mexican barberry, is a species in the Barberry family in southwestern North America. It is also sometimes called algerita, but that name is more often applied to its relative, Mahonia trifoliolata.
Berberis wilcoxii is a shrub native to Arizona, New Mexico and Sonora. It is up to 2 m tall, with pinnately compound leaves of 5-7 leaflets, densely clustered racemes and ovoid berries up to 10 mm long. It is generally found in rocky canyons in mountainous areas at an elevation of 1700–2500 m.
Berberis muelleri is a shrub with compound leaves, native to the Mexican State of Nuevo León.
Berberis higginsiae is a shrub found only in a small region south and east of San Diego in southern California and northern Baja California. It grows in chaparral and woodland areas at elevations of 800–1,200 m (2,600–3,900 ft).
Berberis amplectens is a rare species of shrubs endemic to the Peninsular Ranges of southern California, east of San Diego.
Berberis pumila is a species of shrub native to Oregon and northern California. It is found in open woods and rocky areas at an altitude of 300–1,200 m (980–3,940 ft) in the Coast Ranges, the northern Sierra Nevada and the southern Cascades, often on serpentine soils.
Joseph Edward Laferrière is an American botanist with a particular interest in ethnobotany.
Berberis tenuifolia is a shrub in the family Berberidaceae described as a species in 1838. It is native to Cuba and Mexico.
Berberis lanceolata is a shrub in the Berberidaceae described as a species in 1840. It is endemic to Mexico, found in the States of Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Veracruz, and Puebla.
Berberis hartwegii is a shrub in the Berberidaceae described as a species in 1840. It is endemic to Mexico, found in the States of Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí, and Tamaulipas.
Berberis andrieuxii is a shrub in the Berberidaceae described as a species in 1838. It is endemic to the State of Oaxaca in southern Mexico.
Berberis pallida is a shrub in the Berberidaceae described as a species in 1840. It is endemic to Mexico, known from the States of Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Puebla, Querétaro, and Tamaulipas.
