Golden Abundance Oregon Grape, Berberis aquifolium 'Golden Abundance'

About Golden Abundance Oregon Grape (Berberis aquifolium 'Golden Abundance') 10 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Golden Abundance Oregon Grape is a hybrid cultivar of 3 California native Berberis species that was selected for garden use. It is a dense evergreen shrub, with large compound glossy dark green leaves. It grows 5-8 feet tall by 6-8 feet wide, and can slowly spread by underground rhizomes to form plants 10 ft. wide. The plant produces large inflorescences with abundant yellow flowers in late winter to mid-spring. The flowers are followed by numerous drooping racemes of powdery purple-blue berries that are attractive to birds when they mature in late summer through fall.

Golden Abundance Oregon Grape is used as a flowering accent plant, an informal or trimmed semi-formal hedge, a screen, or a background plant in shady and woodland gardens. Since the leaves have prickly edges it can also be used as a barrier hedge to hinder animals and humans.

In coastal locations it prefers full sun to light shade. In inland locations it prefers partial shade or morning sun with afternoon shade. It can handle heat and aridity well when grown in partial shade. This plant is adaptable to many soil types from well-draining loam to clay loam. It prefers little to moderate watering when established, depending on the sun exposure and climate. It is resistant to oak root fungus and can be a drought tolerant option under mature oaks.

This 'Golden Abundance' cultivar was selected by Lee Lenz at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (present day California Botanic Garden), a chance hybrid between 3 different Berberis (classified as Mahonia at the time) species, Mahonia piperiana, M. aquifolium, and M. amplectans. Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden was awarded a patent on it in 1973, the first patent on a cultivated plant selection granted to a botanic garden in California.

Lenz described its distinctions from its three parents as having: a more vigorous and upright form, many lateral inflorescences along the stems, larger terminal inflorescences, and a greater overall visual abundance of flowers.

Thanks to the Theodore Payne Foundation for sharing information about this plant.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

5 - 8 ft tall
6 - 12 ft wide

Form

Rounded, Upright

Growth Rate

slow

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color

Yellow

Flowering Season

Spring

Wildlife Supported

Pollinator insects are attracted to the flowers. Birds are attracted to & eat the berries.
Bird gardens

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture

Low, Moderate

Summer Irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 10

Ease of Care

Very Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 0 - 15° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description

Tolerates a wide variety of soils. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Common uses

Bank Stabilization, Groundcovers, Hedges, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants

Trees - Oaks (Quercus species), Western Sycamore (Platanus recamosa), Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Yellow Pine (Pinus ponderosa), Red Fir (Abies magnifica), and many others. Companion shrubs and herbs - Wild Ginger (Asarum caudatum), Fleabanes (Erigeron species), Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolia), Larkspurs (Delphiniums species), Iris species, Penstemon species, Buttercups (Ranunculus species), Evergreen Currant (Ribes vibernifolium), Checkerbloom (Sidalcea species), Snowberries (Symphoricarpos species), Meadow Rue & varieties (Thalictrum fendleri, T. f. var. fendleri, T. f. var. polycarpum), and Canyon Sunflower (Venegasia carpesioides).

Maintenance

It is reported to be susceptible to a pest called Loopers that can strip the leaves from a plant. This may be more of a problem in hotter, drier areas or plants that are in full sun or otherwise stressed. It is said to be resistant to oak root fungus.. Because it spreads by rhizomes, remove any unwanted suckers to contain width. To maintain an upright form, prune wandering side branches in the dry season to avoid infection. This plant tolerates shearing and can be trained into a semi-formal hedge.

Site Characteristics

Alternative Names

Botanical Names: Berberis 'Golden Abundance',Mahonia aquifolium 'Golden Abundance',Mahonia 'Golden Abundance'
Common Names: Golden Abundance Barberry, Golden Abundance Mahonia

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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

Golden Abundance Oregon Grape

Berberis aquifolium 'Golden Abundance'

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Golden Abundance Oregon GrapeBerberis aquifolium 'Golden Abundance'

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Golden Abundance Oregon Grape

Berberis aquifolium 'Golden Abundance'