B99 

 HOLLYGRAPES 



Odoste'mon spp., syn. Ber'beris spp., 1 Maho'nia spp. 



About a dozen species of hollygrape are commonly found on the 

 western ranges. They are evergreen shrubs of the barberry family 

 (Berberidaceae) and are merged by many botanists with the bar- 

 berry genus (Berberis). However, certain characters of this group 

 of plants give them an entirely different aspect from the true bar- 

 berries ; for example, the spineless stems ; evergreen, pinnately com- 

 pound leaves with prickly toothed leaflets; terminal flower clusters; 

 and the mostly spherical, blue berries. Some botanists retain the 

 generic name Manonia for the hollygrapes ; Odostemon, however, is 

 the oldest and therefore has the right of priority. The name Odos- 

 temon is obviously manufactured from the Greek and appears to 

 mean swollen stamen, referring to the dilated stalks (filaments) of 

 the stamens of many species. The various species are known by 

 such English names as barberry holly leaf barberry, mahoma, and 

 Oregon-grape. It seems preferable to use the name Oregon-grape 

 only for the Oregon State flower (O. aquifoliuon) and to designate 

 the other species as hollygrapes. 



As a group the hollygrapes are widely distributed throughout 

 all of the far western States and cover a wide range of habitat 

 conditions. Most species are associated with coniferous forests, 

 shady aspen woodlands, or brushy hillsides, yet some thrive on arid 

 slopes and ridges in the juniper-pinon belt of the Southwest. These 

 plants are normally unpalatable to livestock, being, at best, only poor 

 forage plants. However, they merit mention because of their actual 

 or potential economic significance. Several species are grazed with 

 low to moderate relish by game animals, especially during the fall 

 and winter. The hollygrapes often grow on steep, rocky, thin- 

 soiled slopes and on such sites have definite erosion-control value. 

 The fruit of hollygrapes is valued for jelly and preserves and, on 

 occasion, is eaten raw. The bark, roots, and berries of some species 

 are used medicinally; the Indians formerly extracted a yellow dye 

 from the wood and used it in dyeing clothing, baskets, and other 

 articles. In addition, some species are highly valued as ornamentals. 



Creeping hollygrape (O. re' pens], the most common and wide- 

 spread of the western species, ranges from southeastern British 

 Columbia, along the east side of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada 

 Mountains, to Arizona, New Mexico, and the Black Hills of South 

 Dakota. This plant is frequently confused in the literature with 

 O. aquifolium, with which it is often erroneously merged by authors. 

 Creeping hollygrape is a low, trailing shrub, 4 to 12 inches high, 

 with a tew compound leaves made up of two to seven roundish to 

 egg-shaped leaflets margined with numerous teeth, which are armed 

 with weak prickles. Because of its low growth, creeping hollygrape 

 can usually be readily distinguished from the taller, true Oregon- 

 grape. In addition, the leaves of creeping hollygrape have fewer 



1 In part. 



