mahonia

[ muh-hoh-nee-uh ]

noun

1. any of various evergreen shrubs belonging to the genus Mahonia, of the barberry family, including the Oregon grape.

mahonia

/ məˈhəʊnɪə /

noun

1. any evergreen berberidaceous shrub of the Asian and American genus Mahonia, esp M. aquifolium: cultivated for their ornamental spiny divided leaves and clusters of small yellow flowers

Word History and Origins

Origin of mahonia¹

< New Latin (1818), after Bernard Mc Mahon (c1775–1816), U.S. botanist, born in Ireland; -ia

Word History and Origins

Origin of mahonia¹

C19: New Latin, named after Bernard McMahon (died 1816), American botanist

Example Sentences

Sturdy plants such as Viburnum davidii, Soft Caress Mahonia and ferns cover the ground with a variety of evergreen textures.

From Seattle Times

Imagine yourself having cocoa by the fire pit or under a heated arbor, watching a hummingbird nuzzle a mahonia, while wrapped in a tapestry of evergreen color, peeling bark and intoxicatingly scented flowers.

From Seattle Times

Whether designing for hummers or humans, Butler includes Camellia sasanqua, Grevillea victoriae, Mahonia, and other winter-flowering trees and shrubs that offer nectar until spring blooms arrive.

From Seattle Times

That was before Christmas: a hummingbird sipping nectar from a flowering evergreen called a mahonia.

From Washington Post

The mahonia is a spiny evergreen shrub, hollylike, that usually blooms in February and March.

From Washington Post