Mahonia oiwakensis
Mahonia oiwakensis
Safety & Hazards
All parts of the plant contain the alkaloid berberine - this is most concentrated in the roots, stems and inner bark, and least concentrated in the fruits. In small quantities berberine has a range of effective medicinal applications but, in excess, can cause vomiting, lowered blood pressure, reduced heart rate, lethargy, and other ill-effects. The fruit of most, if not all, members of this genus are more or less edible and can be eaten in quantity since the levels of berberine in the fruit are very low.
Botanical Description
Mahonia oiwakensis is an evergreen shrub with erect stems; it usually grows 2.5 - 3.5 metres tall[ 11 Title Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Publication Author Bean. W. Publisher Murray Year 1981 ISBN - Description A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures. ]. Old plants in the wild have been known to reach a height of 12 metres, their erect trunk and stems each carrying a tuft of foliage at the summit[ 11 Title Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Publication Author Bean. W. Publisher Murray Year 1981 ISBN - Description A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. It is often cultivated as an ornamental in gardens[ 11 Title Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Publication Author Bean. W. Publisher Murray Year 1981 ISBN - Description A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures. ]. Natural regeneration of this species is reported to be poor and no conservation or protection measures are in place. The plant is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ]. The plant has escaped from cultivation in New South Wales and has become established in several sites. It has been assessed as a very high weed risk in New South Wales, where the priority is to prevent its establishment as an invasive weed in north-east NSW[ 1009 Title New South Wales Government; Pest and Weeds Management Publication Author Website http://weeds.dpi.nsw.gov.au/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A website with very well-produced factsheets on over 300 noxious and environmental weeds of New South Wales ].