SK 3329 10 February 2022: 7 very high res. images.
Location: Central Park, Romford, UK
Altitude: 40 m.
Date: 10 February 2022
Habit : Cultivated
Mahonia aquifolium (Pursh) Nutt. ??
To me appears close to images at Mahonia napaulensis
I guess Berberis napaulensis (DC.) Spreng. has got no distribution in UK unless it is introduced and cultivated.
This isn’t Mahonia aquifolium but presumably of the M. japonica/lomariifolia type. I’ve attached a key from the European Garden Flora v. 2 if it helps.
Unfortunately I’m away from home to look at other genuses in it but had this and the following pages of details handily on my computer.
However I would be wary of cultivated/horticultural material, at least without the aforementioned flora, in that cultivated material can be atypical or hybridised by horticulturalists.
1 pdf attachment
Mahonia x media ‘Charity’ is a likely candidate depending on the scent of the flowers and the time of flowering. It is widely grown in parks and the colour of flowers and shape of leaves matches this.
