Mahonia bealei (Fortune) Carr.

Locations ofMahonia bealei (Fortune) Carr. in Virginia

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Detail

Family
Berberidaceae
Botanical Name
Mahonia bealei (Fortune) Carr.
Common Name
Leatherleaf Mahonia, Chinese Mahonia, Holly-grape
Synonym(s)
Berberis bealei Fortune
Flora of Virginia Name/Status
Berberis bealei Fortune
Comments
This prickly shrub is spreading rapidly and under-documented. The current map certainly does not reflect the full extent of its distribution.

Whether or not the genus Mahonia should be separated from or included within Berberis has been controversial for some time. Initial molecular studies seemed to show that Mahonia was paraphyletic and should be subsumed. However, Yu and Chung's (2017, Taxon 66: 1371-139) analysis with a larger sample of taxa maintained monophyletic Mahonia and Berberis by splitting off two new genera. Under this sampling, our species remains in Mahonia.
Habitat
Disturbed, usually mesic forests. Locally escaped and established, primarily in forests of the Coastal Plain and Piedmont.
Native Status
Introduced

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