Cascade Oregon-grape
Berberis nervosa
The bright yellow compound berberine found in its roots was historically used by Indigenous peoples as a vibrant dye for baskets and clothing, as well as a powerful medicinal antiseptic.
- Scientific name
- Berberis nervosa
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Ranunculales › Berberidaceae › Berberis
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Douglas-fir and redwood forest understories, shaded coniferous woodlands, and rocky slopes.
- Diet
- Photosynthetic (autotroph, absorbing sunlight, water, and soil nutrients).
- Range
- Pacific Northwest of North America, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Northern California
- Size
- Low-growing shrub, typically 10 to 60 cm tall (4 to 24 inches).
- Lifespan
- Up to 50 years or more via clonal spreading.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, urbanization, and displacement by invasive understory plants like English ivy.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless but defensively prickly. The sharp, holly-like leaves can easily puncture bare skin, so wear thick gloves if handling. The dusty blue berries are edible but extremely tart, while the bright yellow inner bark contains berberine, which is intensely bitter. If pricked, wash the area with soap and water to prevent mild irritation.
Mahonia nervosa , commonly known as dwarf Oregon-grape , Cascade barberry , Cascade Oregon-grape , or dull Oregon-grape , is a flowering plant native to the northwest coast of North America from southern British Columbia south to central California, with an isolated population inland in northern Idaho. It is especially common in second growth, Douglas-fir or western redcedar forests, making use of those pools of sunlight that intermittently reach the ground.
Photo: sprcrkwild, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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