California Barberry
Mahonia pinnata
California barberry is a glossy, holly-like evergreen with wavy spined leaflets, bright yellow late-winter flowers, and powder-blue berries. A versatile deer-resistant shrub for sun or part shade.
- Family
- Berberidaceae
- Type
- shrub
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 2–6 ft
- Spacing
- 3–5 ft apart
- Light
- sun, part shade
- Soil moisture
- moist
- Soil pH
- neutral, acidic
- Bloom
- February, March, April, May
- Bloom colors
- yellow
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, songbirds, larval host
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~12 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- hedge or screen, foundation
- Native states
- CA, OR
Related native plants
More Mahonia species
- Agarita (Mahonia trifoliolata)
- Creeping Oregon Grape (Mahonia repens)
- Tall Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium)
- Cascade Oregon Grape (Mahonia nervosa)
- Red Barberry (Mahonia haematocarpa)
- Nevin's Barberry (Mahonia nevinii)