Every school-age student in the state knows that the Oregon Grape (
Berberis aquifolium) flower is the official flower of Oregon. Blooming in mid-April, it is one of the first native shrubs to arrive in the season and attract bees. The dark blue fruit although bitter, was eaten by native people in the area, mixed with salal berries to sweeten it; and the berries can be used to make a wine of sorts. You can find jars of Oregon Grape jelly in some local gift shops. The boiled roots were used as an early anti-bacterial.
You may find the plant listed as
Mahonia aquifolium in some books. Mahonia refers to the nursery man Bernard McMahon who grew plants from seeds brought back to the East by Merriwether Lewis!
These plants are growing in our back field, along the fence line. (4/13/2013)
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