[Oregon Grapes: The Genera Berberis and Mahonia West of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]
Creeping Oregon Grape, Low Oregon Grape
Berberis repens
Synonyms: Berberis aquifolium var. repens, Berberis nana, Berberis sonnei, Mahonia repens, Mahonia sonnei, Odostemon repens
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The photo at left shows a close-up of the flower cluster of creeping
Oregon grape ..........early April 2006. The image at right shows the inflorescence and pinnately compound leaf of creeping Oregon grape as seen in the webmaster's Gresham, OR garden.....March 19, 2024.
Characteristics:
Creeping Oregon grape is a much smaller, more compact
member of a family valued by landscapers for their bright yellow flowers, evergreen
leaves, and bluish berries. It is similar to shining Oregon
grape, but is lower and more spreading, with trailing stems (repens
means crawling or trailing). It is stoloniferous with stems reaching from 7.5-15
cm in height. The compound pinnate leaves have 5-7 oval leaves, generally less
than twice as long as broad. The leaflet margins are edged with 15-43 spinulose
teeth, and the upper surface may be glossy or dull.
The compact racemes of bright yellow flowers are
found at the apex of the stems.
Habitat:
Creeping Oregon grape is a plant of open grassy
to forested areas, often on north-facing slopes in the Columbia River Gorge.
Range:
Creeping Oregon grape may be found east of the
Cascade Mts from eastern Washington south through Deschutes and Wasco Counties,
Oregon to northeastern California, southern Nevada, New Mexico, and north to
South Dakota and Alberta.
In the Columbia River Gorge, it may be found east
of The Dalles between the elevations of 200'-400'.
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Photos of creeping oregon grape as seen in the webmaster's garden in Gresham, OR.......The photo at right was taken on March 21, 2016.
The photo above shows a leaflet of creeping
Oregon grape as seen on the eastern slopes of Mt. Adams..........May 2005. This
leaflet is ringed with 22 minute, spine-tipped teeth. Note how the margins are
shallowly scapploped between the teeth.
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Creeping oregon grape at left from the trailhead to Canyon Creek, Klickitat State Wildlife Area.............May 8, 2009. The photo at right shows an early blooming creeping Oregon grape observed along the Klickitat Trail north of Lyle, WA.......January 25, 2019..
The photo above shows a close-up of the glaucous-coated berries
of creeping Oregon grape as seen on the east side of Mt. Adams................August
2005.
Creeping Oregon grape blooming under hawthorns along a side creek of Swale Creek, Upper Swale Creek, Klickitat County.............April 23, 2010.
Creeping Oregon grape as seen at Brooks Memorial State Park, northern Klickitat County, WA..........April 28, 2014.
Creeping Oregon grape beginning to bloom in the webmaster's garden in Gresham, OR........March 30, 2019. With good soil and an increase in water, this species can become a small bush rather than the small shrublet form that is more typical east of the Cascade Mountains.
Paul Slichter