Mahonia confusa
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full shade
- Frost limit
- −17.8 °C
Cultivation
An easily grown shrub, it thrives in any good garden soil. Plants can tolerate temperatures down to about -10°c. The young growth in spring can be damaged by late frosts. Plants are very tolerant of pruning and can be cut right back into old wood if they have outgrown their welcome. Closely related to M. fortunei. It hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. The flowers are very sweetly scented.
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse. It usually germinates in the spring[K]. 'Green' seed (harvested when the embryo has fully developed but before the seed case has dried) should be sown as soon as it is harvested and germinates within 6 weeks[K]. Stored seed should be sown as soon as possible in late winter or spring. 3 weeks cold stratification will improve its germination, which should take place in 3 - 6 months at 10°c. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer and consider giving them some protection from the cold for their next winter. Division of suckers in spring. Leaf cuttings in the autumn.
Edible uses
Fruit - raw or cooked. An acid but nice flavour and fairly juicy, it makes a pleasant nibble and is nice in other dishes, especially when added to muesli or porridge[K]. Unfortunately, there is relatively little flesh and a lot of seeds[K]. The fruit ripens in early to mid spring, a time when little other fresh fruit is available in the garden[K].
Medicinal uses
The leaf is used in the treatment of cancer. A decoction of the root is febrifuge and odontalgic. Berberine, universally present in rhizomes of Mahonia species, has marked antibacterial effects.
Habitat
Wet shady ravines and woods.
Native range
E. Asia - Western China in Guizhou, Hubei and Sichuan provinces.