HERB - Re: Oregon Grape

[Kathleen Keeler]

Beeler wrote:

> Oregon Grape?   ....... Bayberry?
> "Myrica pensylvanica Loisel, of the family Myricaceae, a deciduous shrub
> widely distributed throughout the eastern and southern states.

_Myrica pensylvanica_ is bayberry or candleberry, I agree

but the Oregon grape I know from the Rockies is _Berberis repens_ Lindl.
(Barberry family, Berberaceae)  Creeping dwarf shrub, flowers yellow, Fruit
berry-like, dark blue. Cordilleran (Rocky Mountain Wildflowers, National Museums
of Canada, 1979)

Weber (Rocky Mountain Flora, 1976) calls it _Mahonia repens_ (Lindl.) G.Don,
Oregon-grape, holly-grape.

Munz & Keck (California Flora, 1968) call it _B. repens_ Lindl., tho they note
_Mahonia_ as a synonym, "Dry open woods, yellow pine forest, Inyo & Modoc
Counties, to B.C., Black Hills and New Mexico.

I can't find an online source to see what the name looks like in something from
the 90's
(_Mahonia repens_ (Lindl.) G. Don means that the guy whose name is abbreviated
"G.Don" took the plant named by Lindl. as _Berberis_ and said, no its too
different, it should be in another genus, and so put it into the genus
_Mahonia_.  Since the CA flora uses _B. repens_ but knows the _Mahonia_ name,
that suggests they knew of G.Don's work and disagreed with the change.  This
kind of debate is settled by time:  people either use the revision or they
don't.  Tho Weber is still active, although retired, and so Coloradans are
likely to say _Mahonia_  Anybody got the latest California flora?)

Cheers
Agnes
kkeeler1 at unl.edu

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