California barberry

Berberis pinnata is a dark green bush which resembles holly with its serrated leaves. There are 7–11 leaflets up to 6 centimetres (2+1⁄2 in) in length. It has one to two inch long clusters of small yellow flowers. The fruit is a bluish-purple waxy berry about 7 millimetres (1⁄4 in) in size. It is similar to the Oregon-grape (Berberis aquifolium), lending it the common name California Oregon-grape.

It is native to the west coast of North America from British Columbia to Baja California. It occurs in coastal, forest, woodland, chaparral, and other habitats.

The fruits are edible. They have also been used to produce purple dye. The shrub is used in landscaping as an ornamental plant.

Mahonia is named for Bernard McMahon (1775–1816), an American horticulturist. Pinnata means 'set in two opposite rows' or 'pinnate', and is a reference in this case to the arrangement of the leaflets.