Disclaimer: This post is not for identification purposes. Please use wise judgment and use multiple published sources of identification before consuming any wild food.
Finding Something Edible and Medicinal
When out and about on hikes, especially late summer to early fall you may start to notice many of the trees and shrubs producing berries but are unsure if they are edible or not.
It’s always very exciting when you figure out one that is! This was the case for me when correctly identifying Creeping Oregon Grape (Mahonia rapens). It’s also a plus when you find out there is scientific research as a medicinal plant (Oregon Grape has this too!).
Barberry (Berberidaceae) Family
Oregon Grape is named for its fruits that look similar to grape but in reality, are not related botanically at all.
This is something I first identified with Foraging the Rocky Mountains by Liz Brown Morgan. I highly recommend this guide as a foraging beginner if you live in the area.
As a tip for this plant and others: It’s very helpful to find something in flower to help narrow down the ID.
Key Words: Dicot plants or shrubs with floral parts in 3s, often with multiple layers of sepals and petals.
Epel, Botany in a Day
Creeping Mahonia Description
The description of the specific variety of Oregon Grape that grows in my area:
“Creeping mahonia (M. repens) forms low-lying, spreading clusters 4”-12” tall…” - Morgan, Foraging the Rocky Mountains
“Leaves are green or blue-green, stiff, leathery, and waxy. The shrub is considered an evergreen, but the leaves turn reddish as they age and in fall and winter create a sturdy, colorful ground cover. Leaves are pinnately compound, with five to eleven opposite, oval-shaped leaflets per leaf stem and one single leaflet at the ip of each leaf stem. Leaflets have spiny looking teeth spaced out along the leaf edges...
Dense clusters of yellow flowers give way to juicy blue berries about the size of blueberries or somewhat smaller.” - Morgan, Foraging the Rocky Mountains
Some Edible, Medicinal, and other uses
Oregon Grape is another plant I have heard of while working in a health food stores. If you frequent these stores you may know the benefits of the root of this plant.
The yellow roots of the botanical varieties of Oregon Grape Root, including Mahonia rapens, contain antimicrobial and antifungal properties, responsible from the alkaloid Berberine they contain. The variety Mahonia aquifolium is used in most commercial supplements.
The berries are generally sour but still edible. You may have to get creative when making something with them (used in a jam recipe for example).
Some varieties are common ornamental plants for its attractive foliage and resistance to being eaten by deer.
The roots also have a strong yellow color and can be used as a dye.
Have you seen this plant?
This unassuming mountain shrub has many uses. Have you ever used Oregon Grape as a supplement or seen it in the wild?
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