Mahonia fortunei
Mahonia fortunei
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 fortunei is an evergreen shrub with erect, unbranching stems; it usually grows 50 - 200cm tall, occasionally reaching 400cm[ 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. , 266 Title Flora of China Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ Publisher Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. Year 1994 ISBN Description An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of a dye. It is sometimes cultivated as a medicinal plant and,, especially in Indonesia, as a dye plant and a hedge. It is often grown as an ornamental in warm temperate gardens[ 309 Title Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida Publication Author Website http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/shrubs/ Publisher University of Florida Year 0 ISBN Description PDF fact sheets on over 500 shrubs. ]. The plant is commonly cultivated in Indonesia (western Java), where it has escaped from cultivation and is naturalized at elevations around 1,000 metres[ 310 Title Plant Resources of Southeast Asia Publication Author Website http://proseanet.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia. ].