Mahonia japonica

Description

If one travels in Japan, it is this species that is most frequently encountered in Japanese horticulture, being planted by the thousands along streams and in parks as mass plantings. This is for good reason, as the handsome, dark, pinnate foliage is held unblemished throughout the year, while the lax racemes of fragrant yellow flowers are offered in early to mid-winter, followed by crops of handsome blue fruit. Our clone is from one originally cultivated at the Washington Park Arboretum (no longer extant) and possesses somewhat smaller leaves than those I have observed in Japan and England. 4 ft.