Native Garden Plant Factsheets

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Tall Oregon-Grape (SENI¸IȽĆ / səniʔíɬč)

English Name(s): Tall Oregon-Grape, also Holly-leaved Barberry
Scientific Name: Mahonia aquifolium
SENĆOŦEN Name: SENI¸IȽĆ (bush), SENI (berries)
lək̓ʷəŋən Name: səniʔíɬč (bush), səniʔ (berries)

Fun Facts:
This plant can grow up to 2.5m tall when mature, initially growing quite slowly. It has 5-9 shiny evergreen leaflets characterized by a central vein, which is often red on new growth. It has small yellow flowers which grow upright, while the berries are dark blue and grape-like, though only 1cm across.

Traditional Uses:
The sour berries can be eaten fresh or boiled, alone or with other berries like salal. They can be used as an antidote against poisoning, namely shellfish poisoning. The stems and roots, which are yellow in colour, can be pounded, boiled, and drank as a cure for certain skin diseases or as a tonic. It also works as a yellow dye for basket-weaving or dyeing wool.

Blooms: April to May
Season: September to October
Habitat: Dry, rocky, open sites, often along highways, but also in open woodlands and meadow edges
Range: Southern British Columbia through California and east to Idaho, also found around the Great Lakes

Further Sources:

• http://nativeplantspnw.com/tall-oregon-grape-mahonia-aquifolium/

• Saanich Ethnobotany by Nancy J. Turner & Richard J. Hebda

• Plants of Coastal British Columbia by Jim Pojar & Andy MacKinnon