Mahonia nevinii
Encyclopedia
Mahonia nevinii is a species of flowering shrub in the barberry family
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.
s of 3 to 5 bright yellow cup-shaped, layered blossoms. The fruit is a spherical reddish berry
appearing in bunches.
and the Peninsular Ranges
in Los Angeles
, San Bernardino
, and Riverside Counties
, its distribution possibly extending just into San Diego County
. Threats to the species include habitat loss and degradation from urban development, fire suppression, and exotic plant species
.
Berberidaceae
Berberidaceae are a family of 15 genera flowering plants commonly called the barberry family. This family is in the order Ranunculales. The family contains about 570 species, of which the majority are in Berberis...
known by the common name Nevin's barberry. This plant is endemic to southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, where it is known from very few occurrences in the chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
of inland canyons and foothills. It is a federally and state listed endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
; 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.
Description
This is an erect shrub approaching a maximum height of four meters. It has a dense foliage of dark green to bluish-green spiny-toothed, spear-shaped leaflets. It flowers in racemeRaceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
s of 3 to 5 bright yellow cup-shaped, layered blossoms. The fruit is a spherical reddish berry
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
appearing in bunches.
Distribution
There are about 21 known populations of the plant remaining, and almost all of them have fewer than 20 individuals. The populations are scattered throughout the San Gabriel MountainsSan Gabriel Mountains
The San Gabriel Mountains Range is located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east...
and the Peninsular Ranges
Peninsular Ranges
The Peninsular Ranges are a group of mountain ranges, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, which stretch from southern California in the United States to the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Coast Ranges that run along the Pacific coast from Alaska...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
, San Bernardino
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
, and Riverside Counties
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
, its distribution possibly extending just into San Diego County
San Diego County, California
San Diego County is a large county located in the southwestern corner of the US state of California. Hence, San Diego County is also located in the southwestern corner of the 48 contiguous United States. Its county seat and largest city is San Diego. Its population was about 2,813,835 in the 2000...
. Threats to the species include habitat loss and degradation from urban development, fire suppression, and exotic plant species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
.