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Mahonia gracilis

Common name:	Mexican Barberry	Family:	Berberidaceae
Author:	(Hartw.)Fedde.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	South-western N. America - Mexico.
Habitat:	Dry ravines in open pine forests in limestone soils[260].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Berberis gracilis[G]
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	gracilis = thin, slender
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Ranunculales. Barberry family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 1.5m. It is hardy to zone 8. It is in leaf all year, in flower from February to March. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Edible Uses

Fruit.

The fruit of all members of the genus is edible either raw or cooked, though we do not know the quality of this species[K]. The ovoid fruit is produced in racemes and is up to 12mm long[200].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Unlike most members of this genus, this species requires a dry, well-drained soil in a shady position[260]. It requires a position sheltered from strong or cold winds[202].
Plants are only hardy in the milder areas of the country, tolerating temperatures down to about -5° c when fully dormant[260]. The young growth in spring can be damaged by late frosts.
Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus.
Plants in this genus are resistant to honey fungus[88].

Propagation

Seed -

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for the family Berberidaceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[88] RHS. The Garden. Volume 112. Royal Horticultural Society 1987
Snippets of information from the magazine of the RHS. In particular, there are articles on plants that are resistant to honey fungus, oriental vegetables, Cimicifuga spp, Passiflora species and Cucurbits.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[202] Davis. B. Climbers and Wall Shrubs. Viking. 1990 ISBN 0-670-82929-3
Contains information on 2,000 species and cultivars, giving details of cultivation requirements. The text is terse but informative.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Mahonia+gracilis
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Mahonia+gracilis

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