Mahonia (Berberis) 'Skylark'

Common Name:

Plant Type:
Evergreen shrub
Family:
Berberidaceae (The Barberry Family)
Geographic Origin:
California
California Native?:
Yes

Plant Size:
6 feet+ high
Landscape/Garden Uses:
Foundation plantings
Flowering Season:
Spring and summer

Flower Color:
Yellow
Exposure:
Sun or light shade
Soils:
Well-drained soil

Suggested Irrigation:
Moderate to little watering
Estimated Hardiness:
Hardy to 10 degrees F. or less

Selected from a seedling crop, this may be either M. pinnata, the California holly grape, or a chance bee hybrid between it and M. aquifolium. It is a roundish, closely branched shrub of 5 feet or more. Its 6 inch leaves are dark green with a highly polished surface, brilliant red in new growth and purple-tinted in winter. The leaflets are broader and less crinkled than those of typical M. pinnata, but nearly as spiny. The spring flowers and summer berries are borne in densely clustered 4-6 inch spikes. Prefers full sun near the coast, light shade inland, reasonably well drained soil, and moderate to little watering when established. Watch for and control the small loopers (a type of caterpillar) which attack and skeletonize the leaves. Hardy to 10 degrees F. or below.