Leatherleaf Mahonia

It is an evergreen shrub growing to 2 m (7 ft) tall by 3 m (10 ft) wide. The foliage is pinnate, glossy dark green above, paler beneath, and sharply toothed. Each leaf usually has 6–8 pairs of leaflets together with a single terminal leaflet. The plant will produce new shoots regularly from the base, so that it is clothed in foliage at all levels.

The small scented yellow flowers are borne from autumn through winter into spring. The inflorescences are 25cm or more long, at first arching and then pendant. Dark or black fruits develop in spring and summer.