~ Oregon Grape Holly (Mahonia aquifolium) ~

Two weeks ago when I went hiking I noticed the plant above growing next to the stream. We have them bordering our yard and they have spread through the woods. I didn't know what they were , I always thought it was some type of holly. I did a google search to find out what kind of holly it was , but it's not really holly. This plant is called Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium) , although sometimes it's called Oregon Grape Holly. The leaves are holly like , but it's actually a member of the barberry family. It has the same medicinal properties as Golden seal which is a threatened herbal species. It has a yellow bloom that matures into grape like berries which are edible when they turn dark blue. If you would like to learn more about this plant here are two links with some great information.

~ http://www.paghat.com/oregongrape.html ~

~ http://health.howstuffworks.com/medical-uses-for-oregon-grape-ga.htm ~

Backwoods Home magazine has a article about making Oregon Grape Jam , Click here to read ......................................................................

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/okeefe_joyce0808.html . I'm looking forward to making this jam come Fall.

~ Herbal Blessings ~

JoyceAnn