Mahonia repens
I took this picture of an Oregon Grape (Mahonia repens) with its holly-like leaves and distinctive yellow blossoms during a recent trip to Durango. This plant will bear sour but edible fruit later in the season which resemble but are not related to grapes.
The plant is Mahonia repens, not Mahonia aquifolium. The two are considered separate species; they readily cross pollinate to produce hybrids of varying fertility. Most of named and awarded ‘aquifolium’ cultivars from Europe are apparent hybrids between aquifolium and either M. pinnata and/or repens. The ecology of wild populations of these three species in their natural habitats is quite different from each other.
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for the note. I will take your word for it and have amended the post. I am no botanical expert so thanks for the correction!