Mahonia pinnata
Mahonia pinnata
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 pinnata is an evergreen shrub, usually growing 30 - 160cm tall. Suckering from the base, the plant forms a tight cluster of stems that are usually unbranched, sometimes with short, axillary shoots. The plant, especially of the subspecies insularis, sometimes adopts a more clambering habit, producing stems up to 7 metres long and growing into other plants for support[ 270 Title Flora of N. America Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. It is grown as an ornamental in gardens.