Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

Oregon grape

 
Dictionary: Oregon grape
Home > Library > Literature & Language > Dictionary

n.
Any of various evergreen shrubs of the genus Mahonia, especially M. aquifolium of northwest North America, having compound leaves with spiny-toothed leaflets and black berries with blue bloom.


Search unanswered questions...

Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics

WordNet: Oregon grape
Top
Home > Library > Literature & Language > WordNet
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has 2 meanings:

Meaning #1: small shrub with gray-green leaves and yellow flowers followed by glaucous blue berries
  Synonym: Mahonia nervosa

Meaning #2: ornamental evergreen shrub of Pacific coast of North America having dark green pinnate leaves and racemes of yellow flowers followed by blue-black berries
  Synonyms: Oregon holly grape, hollygrape, mountain grape, holly-leaves barberry, Mahonia aquifolium

Wikipedia: Oregon-grape
Top
Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Oregon-grape

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Berberidaceae
Genus: Mahonia
Species: M. aquifolium
Binomial name
Mahonia aquifolium
(Pursh) Nutt.

Oregon-grape (Mahonia aquifolium, Berberidaceae) is an evergreen shrub related to the barberry. Some authors place Mahonia in the barberry genus, Berberis. The Oregon-grape is not closely related to grapes, but gets its name from the purple clusters of berries whose color and slightly dusted appearance is reminiscent of grapes. It is sometimes called Tall Oregon-grape to distinguish it from Creeping Oregon-grape (M. repens) and "Cascade" or Dwarf Oregon-grape (M. nervosa). The name is often left un-hyphenated as Oregon grape, though doing so invites confusion with the true grapes. It also occasionally appears in print as Oregongrape.

Contents

Details

Oregon-grape grows to 1-5 m tall. Its leathery leaves resemble holly and the stems and twigs have a thickened, corky appearance. The flowers, borne in late spring, are an attractive yellow.

Oregon-grape is used in landscaping similarly to barberry, as a plant suited for low-maintenance plantings and loose hedges. Oregon-grape is resistant to summer drought, tolerates poor soils, and does not create excessive leaf litter. Its berries attract birds.

The small purplish-black fruits, which are quite tart and contain large seeds, are included in smaller quantities in the traditional diets of Pacific Northwest aboriginal peoples, mixed with Salal or another sweeter fruit. Today they are sometimes used to make jelly, alone or mixed with salal.[1] Oregon grape juice can be fermented to make wine, similar to European barberry wine folk traditions, although it requires an unusually high amount of sugar.[2] The inner bark of the larger stems and roots of Oregon-grape yield a yellow dye, the berries give purple dye.[3] As the leaves of Oregon-grape are holly-like and resist wilting, the foliage is sometimes used by florists for greenery and a small gathering industry has been established in the Pacific Northwest.

Oregon-grape is a native plant on the North American west coast from British Columbia to northern California, occurring in the understory of Douglas-fir forests and in brushlands. It is the state flower of Oregon.

Flowers

In some areas outside its native range, Oregon-grape has been classified as an invasive exotic species that may displace native vegetation.[4][5][6][7]

Medicinal use

The plant is used medicinally by herbalists. Recent studies indicate that M. aquifolium contains a specific multidrug resistance pump inhibitor (MDR Inhibitor) named 5'methoxyhydnocarpin (5'MHC) which works to decrease bacterial resistance to antibiotics and antibacterial agents.[8]

Oregon-grape root is commonly used medicinally as an effective alternative to the threatened goldenseal. Both plants similarly contain the alkaloid berberine, known as an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial used in the treatment of infection.[9] Mahonia aquifolium is also known to be capable of treatment on inflammatory skin diseases such as Eczema and Psoriasis.[10][11][12] Other actions may include alterative, diuretic, laxative and tonic.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ Pojar, Jim; MacKinnon, Andy, eds (1994). Plants of Coastal British Columbia: including Washington, Oregon & Alaska, rev. ed.. Vancouver: Lone Pine Publishing. p. 95. ISBN 978-1-55105-532-9. 
  2. ^ Henderson, Robert K. (2000). The Neighbourhood Forager. Toronto, Ontario: Key Porter Books. p. 111. ISBN 1-55263-306-3. 
  3. ^ Bliss, Anne (1993). North American Dye Plants, rev. and enl. ed.. Loveland, Colorado: Interweave Press. p. 130. ISBN 0-934026-89-0. 
  4. ^ Introduced Shrubs of Birmingham and the Black Country
  5. ^ North Carolina Botanical Garden / Conservation / Plants to Avoid in the Southeastern United States
  6. ^ Plants to Avoid in the Southeastern United States Tennessee Invasive Exotic Plant List
  7. ^ TN Invasive Exotic Plant List
  8. ^ Stermitz FR, Lorenz P, Tawara JN, Zenewicz LA, Lewis K (February 2000). "Synergy in a medicinal plant: antimicrobial action of berberine potentiated by 5'-methoxyhydnocarpin, a multidrug pump inhibitor". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 97 (4): 1433–7. doi:10.1073/pnas.030540597. PMID 10677479. 
  9. ^ Howstuffworks "Oregon Grape: A Profile of an Alternative Medicine"
  10. ^ Donsky, Howard; Don Clarke. "Relieva, a Mahonia Aquifolium Extract for the Treatment of Adult Patients With Atopic Dermatitis". http://www.americantherapeutics.com/pt/re/ajt/abstract.00045391-200709000-00008.htm;jsessionid=HnrPMH6R3JhTFQNQphZtJqdp7608hvDvWLt5sm4Wj7pW52SdRL4W!1821113646!181195629!8091!-1. Retrieved 4 November 2007. 
  11. ^ Rackova L, Oblozinsky M, Kostalova D, Kettmann V, Bezakova L (2007). "Free radical scavenging activity and lipoxygenase inhibition of Mahonia aquifolium extract and isoquinoline alkaloids". J Inflamm (Lond) 4: 15. doi:10.1186/1476-9255-4-15. PMID 17634120. 
  12. ^ Bernstein, Steve et al.. "Treatment of Mild to Moderate Psoriasis with Relieva, a Mahonia aquifolium Extract-A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study". http://www.americantherapeutics.com/pt/re/ajt/abstract.00045391-200603000-00007.htm;jsessionid=Hnyhk0cdJylLgL8fyNyYdpmy1WpycJvHGpLKFWpfFhX849clNk8j!1821113646!181195629!8091!-1. Retrieved 4 November 2007. 
  13. ^ Applied Health Oregon Grape

External links

Search Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mahonia aquifolium

Medicinal use

Flag of Oregon
v • d • e

 
State of Oregon
Salem (capital)
Topics
Regions
Metros
Cities
Counties

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Oregon-grape".  Read more