| Mahonia |
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Mahonia japonica fruit
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| Species |
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About 70 species
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Mahonia is a genus of about 70 species of evergreen shrubs in the family Berberidaceae , native to East Asia, the Himalaya, western North America and Central America. They are closely related to the genus Berberis, and included within that genus by some botanists; they are distinguished from Berberis by their large, pinnate leaves 10-50 cm long with 5-15 leaflets, and flowers in longer (5-20 cm long) racemes.
The type species of the genus is Mahonia aquifolium, the Oregon-grape from the Pacific coast of North America.
Several are popular garden shrubs, grown for their ornamental leaves, yellow flowers in winter, and blue-black berries. The berries are edible, and rich in vitamin C, though with a very sharp flavour.
