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Nevin's Barberry
Berberis nevinii
  
About Nevin's Barberry (Berberis nevinii) 35 Nurseries Carry This Plant Berberis nevinii (syn. Mahonia nevinii) is an evergreen species of flowering shrub known by the common name Nevin' =s barberry. This plant is endemic to southern California, where it is known from very few occurrences in the chaparral of inland canyons and foothills.

It is a federally and state listed endangered species; there are thought to be about 500 individuals remaining, with half of those being naturally occurring plants. It is also widely cultivated in gardens and parks.

This is an erect shrub with dense foliage of dark green to bluish-green spiny-toothed, spear-shaped leaflets. It flowers in racemes of 3 to 5 bright yellow cup-shaped, layered blossoms. The fruit is a spherical reddish berry appearing in bunches.

It is very cold hardy, heat tolerant, and can handle regular summer water. Because the leaves are quite spiny, it is best planted away from walkways.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
3.2 - 7 ft tall
6 - 12 ft wide

Form
Form
Mounding , Rounded

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Slow

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Fragrance
Fragrance
Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Green

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring

Wildlife Supported
 
Birds, Butterflies. Western Bluebirds are especially fond of the berries

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 5 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Part Shade, Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 15 - 30° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium

Soil Description
Soil Description
Adaptable but prefers coarse well drained soil. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Hedges, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Bee Gardens

Maintenance
Maintenance
Not necessary but can handle a hard pruning.

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: 2.5 -3 mos. stratification.

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Sandy gravelly soils, washes, usually below 2000 ft. Nearest the coast it may be found in coastal sage scrub or chaparral. Inland in the Transverse Range or Peninsular Range it occurs in chaparral, desert transition or foothill woodland.

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 10.2" - 35.3", Summer Precipitation: 0.22" - 1.78", Coldest Month: 43.9" - 55.1", Hottest Month: 64.5" - 81.2", Humidity: 2.35" - 29.55", Elevation: 220" - 5871"

Alternative Names
Botanical Names: Mahonia nevinii
Common Names: Nevin ' S Barberry


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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