Berberis aquifolium, the Oregon grape[2] or holly-leaved barberry, is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae.

The berries are a part of the traditional diet of some indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest and the species serves as the state flower of Oregon.

[13] Berberis aquifolium is a native plant in the North American West from Southeast Alaska to Northern California to central New Mexico, often occurring in the understory of Douglas-fir forests (although other forest types contain the species) and in brushlands in the Cascades, Rockies, and northern Sierra Nevada.

[citation needed] As with some other Berberis, B. aquifolium can serve as an alternate host for wheat yellow rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp.

It is resistant to summer drought, tolerates poor soils, and does not create excessive leaf litter.

[17] Numerous cultivars and hybrids have been developed, of which the following have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:[18] The small purplish-black fruits, which are quite tart and contain large seeds, are edible raw[21] after the season's first frosts.

[22] They were included in small quantities in the traditional diets of Pacific Northwest tribes, mixed with salal or another sweeter fruit.