Bailey & Bailey: Woody Plants of National Parks 



73 



Fig. 25. Creeping hollygrape {Mahonia repens). 



The main stem of this species, creeping along the ground, is often coverecl 

 with forest duff so that the plants appear to consist of only short erect flow- 

 ering stems. The leaves turn beautiful shades of red, yellow, or purple 

 in the Fall. 



Occurrence. — GLACIER, common in the woods, 3,100 to 5,000 feet: Belton ; North 

 Fork Flathead River road; Kintia Lake; Bowman Lake; Lake McDonald; St. Mary- 

 Lake; Cutbank Valley; Two Medicine Valley; Swiftcurrenl Lake. YELLOWSTONE: 

 above Mammoth Hot Springs. GRAND TETON. ROCKY MOUNTAIN. MESA VERDE: north 

 slope of Navajo Canyon. BRYCE CANYON, common in the forest on the plateau, 7,800 

 to 9,100 feet: near the Lodge; Farview; Rainbow Mountain. ZION, 4,000 to 6,000 

 feet: along the Narrows trail; canyon on west side of Checkerboard Mesa. GRAND 

 CANYON, 4,500 to 8,800 feet. North Rim, common in the ponderosa pine forest; road 

 to Cape Royal; park headquarters. South Rim: Shoshone Point. Canyon, common: 

 upper part of Bright Angel trail; Kaibab trail below North Rim. 



4. Oregon Grape, Mountain Holly {Mabonla aquijolhim (Pursh) 

 Nutt.), fig. 26. — Shrub 1 to 3 feet high with erect stems; leaf stems with 3 

 to 11 leaflets; leaflets oblong, 1 to 3 inches long, bright shiny green above, 

 duller below, rather thin but tough and leathery, the margins spine-toothed; 

 flowers bright yellow, borne in clusters at the ends of the branches and along 

 the stems in the leaf-axils; berries about the size of a pea, dark blue, with 

 a whitish bloom. 



This is a handsome shrub which is distinctly northwestern in its range, 

 occurring in the hills and mountains of northern California north to British 

 Columbia. The species name, aquijolium, means sharp leaf, referring to the 

 spine-toothed leaflets. The plants sometimes form dense thickets in the 

 woods. Oregon grape is the state flower of Oregon. (Syn. Berberis aqui- 

 foliutn Pursh.) 



Occurrence. — OLYMPIC, common: Elwha River; Mount Angeles. MOUNT RAINIER, 

 occasional in open woods. 



