Mahonia aquifolium
Mahonia aquifolium
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 aquifolium is an evergreen shrub usually growing 30 - 250cm tall, exceptionally reaching 450cm. The plant sends up a cluster of more or less unbranched stems from underground suckers[ 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 medicine. It has achieved a high reputation in the treatment of various skin conditions and is harvested from the wild in large quantities for use in making skin creams. The plant is also commonly grown as an ornamental, where selevated cultivars can be used for ground cover and hedges. This species has been introduced into many areas as an ornamental. It escapes regularly from cultivation in private and public gardens to form spontaneous woody vegetation[ 1093 Title Invasive Species Compendium Publication Author Website http://www.cabi.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc). ]. Populations usually consist of distinct patches formed by one or more genets, but the shrub can sometimes cover the entire understorey. It can out-compete native species due to its successful reproductive strategy, i.e. the colonization of available space due to repeated recruitment of seedlings[ 1093 Title Invasive Species Compendium Publication Author Website http://www.cabi.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc). ].