I was gifted this beautiful plant but haven't been able to identify what it is exactly (and therefore am struggling to know how to best take care of it). It was outdoors at it's previous home, and I had it in a corner with low indirect light at first. Some curling of the leaves started , then some yellowing of the leaves in the middle. There was a lot of black grime/soot on the leaves (I'm in LA and outdoor plants get a lot of dirt/pollution residue here). I tried to wipe this off with a damp towel as I've done with countless plants before, but the leaves I treated this way all developed brown spots within a day. I moved it to a corner with much more light in case that was an issue. Any tips or advice on how to best take care of this would be greatly appreciated!!!

Hi jdplotnick1, to the site!

I don't recognize that lovely plant but I've moved this over to our Plant Identification Forum where I'm sure someone will be able to help!

Looks like a Mahonia / Berberis especially, Mahonia x media 'Marvel',
interestingly we recently has discussion on this similar plant
The thread "Who is this smooth Mahonia?" in Plant ID forum

Ha, I thought the same thing. I was wrong about the other one, but those stalks definitely suggest Mahonia. I've never encountered them as houseplants and will be surprised if it thrives indoors.

The black soot and other symptoms sound more like sooty mold, a fungus that forms on honeydew, which sucking insects secrete - like aphids and scale. If you can provide closer photos of the leaves and stalks, perhaps we can diagnose the issues.

Thanks so much for the quick replies! You can see below the leaves I wiped with a wet towel, leaves that I didn't wipe but are turning a different brown, and leaves that are less affected on top. Do I need to keep this plant outside to stay happy? Or is right next to a window with 4-5 hours of strong sunlight enough? And what should I do to treat the current issues?

Sorry, I forgot to include stalk pictures. There is a brown spot on the stalk close to where the browning leaves are, and some other photos of healthier parts of the stalk if that's helpful.

It needs a bigger pot and to be outside in partial shade. I suppose it could stay inside if it got lots of light and some direct sun.
It probably has spider mites and possibly scale. If you can spray it down about once a month with water it would help with the mites.

Looks to me like it was previously repotted from a smaller container in which it was overcrowded and the roots are still growing in the girdled pattern. I have to ask, when you say you were "gifted" this plant, was it actually an intended gift or did someone unload it on you because it was unwanted? I apologize for sounding abrupt, but it doesn't look well loved or especially healthy. I wonder if the brown marks are injury from scrubbing? They almost resemble sunburn, but the time of year and your description of its history don't point to that.

A close look at photo 6/11 suggests scale insects, or possibly patches where they were scraped off. The film on other leaves looks like spider mites. Apologies, I can't tell exactly what's going on there, but I do agree that it should be outdoors in dappled shade. Hoping someone else can help out here.

It was very healthy looking when I got it, and the previous owner has lots of beautiful big plants purposely and artistically kept in small containers like this and they seem to do just fine. The brown spots on 4/11 and 5/11 are directly from my wiping off what I thought was grime from the outside but is likely spider mites or another pest, and the spots on 6/11 developed a couple weeks after it was brought indoors and were not wiped down. I'm nervous about spraying it down with water to address the spider mites because the leaves I wiped down with water reacted so badly to that. Maybe it's different if it's sprayed vs wiped down? Appreciate all of the input, it's new location does get a good amount of strong direct and indirect sunlight but if it will be much happier outdoors I can move it, though I've fallen in love with the way it looked indoors (when it was healthier). Any other advice for troubleshooting or addressing these issues? Also, how heavily and frequently should this be watered?

Did the previous owner keep it indoors?

Yes, spraying is different from wiping. There's no pressure to damage the leaf surface.
As far as watering goes, a thorough soak when you water is best. Maybe once or twice a year, take it to the bathtub and really drench it 3 times in succession to eliminate built up salts in the soil.
What I do is choose a day every week that is "Plant Care Day". It's the day every week that I 'visit' the plants and do all the grooming, watering, pest identification and so forth. In between, the only time I would do anything is if something drastic happens like massive globs of mealybug or swarms of gnats or severe leaf drop happen.

A moderate spray of water shouldn't damage it any more than rain would. I think the rubbing was injurious for some reason. Did you use any kind of product?

Porkpal, OP said it was outdoors in the first post.

@CalPolygardener @porkpal
What do either of you think about growing mahonia indoors? I can't find anything online suggesting they are suitable as houseplants.

I didn't use any product when rubbing the leaves, just a towel damp with water. I've done it with many plants before and never seen leaves react this way so I was very surprised, but I can take it outside and spray the rest of the leaves if that won't cause any more harm.

Some leaves are more delicate than others. If you do have spider mites, spraying can help deter, not eradicate, them. However,I'm not sure what you've got. Either way, water won't hurt.

Since they are subtropical to temperate plants and not a typical tropical plant, they aren't the greatest choice for long-term success as houseplants, but given very bright light and regular watering they will be okay at least for a few years. Also, being SUBtropical, if they can get a cool-down in the winter it would help. The reverse of all the tropicals that want to be outside when it's warm and inside when it's cold. They are great regular landscape plants around here and south into San Diego where "Winter" is more like Spring or mid-Autumn. An interesting twist on the houseplant palette. I've also noticed Eucalyptus, Pittosporum, Camellia, and Grevillea used as houseplants, where we grow them as regular outdoor landscape standards. Not to mention all the cacti and succulents we grow so easily that Brits, New Yorkers and Canadians struggle to keep alive. I've even heard of people using Japanese Maples as houseplants. Somebody's got to push the envelope!

I have never heard of them growing as house plants, but I agree with Calpolygardener. Given proper light and water, why not?

No plants are indigenous to inside a building.

So true!

Appreciate all of the input! I'll let everyone know how it goes.