BARBERRY FAMILY 



(Berberidacece) 



Shrubs or herbs, stamens as many as the petals and oppo- 

 site them, anthers opening by two valves at the top. 



OREGON GRAPE (Herberts Aquifolium, Pursh.)- Flowers 

 yellow, in terminal clustered racemes; leaves odd-pinnate, 

 bright glossy green with seven or more spiny-toothed leaflets 

 resembling the holly (which suggest the specific name). The 

 wood, particularly of the root, is bright yellow. Blossoms in 

 the spring, the flowers succeeded in autumn by little bunches 

 of pretty blue berries with a bloom resembling tiny wild grapes. 



The Oregon Grape is a shrub 2 to 6 feet high, and is found 

 often in great abundance in shady situations in both the Coast 

 Ranges and Sierra Nevada of California north to Oregon and 

 Washington. It is Oregon's state flower. Similar to it 

 and indigenous from Northern California to Alaska, and east- 

 ward to Arizona, Utah, and Nevada, is the Creeping Barberry 

 (Berberis repens, Lindley), rarely a foot high. 



The Oregon Grape is grown in Eastern and European gar- 

 dens under the name of Mahonia. The Indians made a de- 

 coction of the yellow root bark for the cure of stomach troubles. 

 ftl 



