Berberis

Plant Characteristics

Habit		shrub

Cultivation

Features:	✓	evergreen, deciduous

Scientific Names

Berberidaceae >

Berberis >

Berberis (Bér-be-ris, barberry, pepperidge bush) a genus of about 450-500 species of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from 1-5 m tall with thorny shoots, native to the temperate and subtropical regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and South America. They are closely related to the genus Mahonia, which is included within Berberis by some botanists.

The genus is characterised by dimorphic shoots, with long shoots which form the structure of the plant, and short shoots only 1-2 mm long. The leaves on long shoots are non-photosynthetic, developed into three-spined thorns 3-30 mm long; the bud in the axil of each thorn-leaf then develops a short shoot with several normal, photosynthetic leaves. These leaves are 1-10 cm long, simple, and either entire, or with spiny margins. Only on young seedlings do leaves develop on the long shoots, with the adult foliage style developing after the young plant is 1-2 years old.

The deciduous species (e.g. Berberis thunbergii, B. vulgaris) are noted for good autumn colour, the leaves turning pink or red before falling. In some evergreen species from China (e.g. B. candidula, B. verruculosa), the leaves are brilliant white beneath, making them particularly attractive.

The flowers are produced singly or in racemes of up to 20 on a single flower-head. They are yellow or orange, 3-6 mm long, with six sepals and six petals in alternating whorls of three, the sepals usually coloured like the petals. The fruit is a small berry 5-15 mm long, ripening red or dark blue, often with a pink or violet waxy surface bloom; they may be either long and narrow (like a bar, hence 'barberry') or in other species, spherical.

The berries are edible, and rich in vitamin C, though with a very sharp flavour; the thorny shrubs make harvesting them difficult, so in most places they are not widely consumed.

Berberis species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Mottled Pug.

Several are popular garden shrubs, grown for their ornamental leaves, yellow flowers, and red or blue-black berries. They are also valued for crime prevention; being very dense, viciously spiny shrubs, they make very effective barriers impenetrable to burglars. For this reason they are often planted below potentially vulnerable windows, and used as hedges and other barriers.

Berberis buxifolia (Calafate) and Berberis darwinii (Michay) are two species found in Patagonia in Argentina and Chile. Their edible purple fruits are used for jams and infusions; anyone who tries a berry is said to be certain to return to Patagonia. The calafate and michay are symbols of Patagonia.

Berberis vulgaris (European Barberry) is the alternate host species of the wheat rust Puccinia graminis, a serious fungal disease of wheat. For this reason, cultivation of this species is prohibited in many areas.

Some Berberis have become invasive species when planted outside of their native ranges, including B. glaucocarpa and B. darwinii in New Zealand (where it is now banned from sale and propagation), and B. thunbergii in some parts of North America.

Species

Selected species:

Europe & Asia, deciduous Berberis aemulans Berberis aetnensis Berberis aggregata Berberis amurensis Berberis angulosa Berberis aristata Berberis beaniana Berberis capillaris Berberis chinensis Berberis circumserrata Berberis cretica Berberis dasystachya Berberis diaphana Berberis dictyoneura Berberis dictyophylla Berberis dielsiana Berberis edgeworthiana Berberis floribunda Berberis forrestii Berberis francisci-ferdinandii Berberis gilgiana Berberis giraldii Berberis graminea Berberis gyalaica Berberis heteropoda Berberis hispanica Berberis jamesiana Berberis koreana Berberis lycium Berberis mitifolia Berberis morrisonensis Berberis mucrifolia Berberis oblonga Berberis parisepala Berberis poiretii Berberis prattii Berberis sherriffii Berberis sieboldii Berberis sikkimensis Berberis silva-taroucana Berberis temolaica Berberis thunbergii Berberis vernae Berberis virescens Berberis virgetorum Berberis vulgaris Berberis wilsoniae Berberis yunnanensis Berberis zabeliana

Europe & Asia, evergreen Berberis asiatica Berberis atrocarpa Berberis bergmannii Berberis calliantha Berberis candidula Berberis centiflora Berberis chrysosphaera Berberis concinna Berberis coriaria Berberis coxii Berberis dumicola Berberis gagnepainii Berberis glaucocarpa Berberis hookeri Berberis hypokerina Berberis insignis Berberis julianae Berberis kawakamii Berberis lycioides Berberis manipuriana Berberis panlanensis Berberis potaninii Berberis pruinosa Berberis replicata Berberis sargentiana Berberis soulieana Berberis sublevis Berberis taliensis Berberis tsangpoensis Berberis umbellata Berberis veitchii Berberis verruculosa

North America, deciduous Berberis canadensis Berberis fendleri South America, deciduous Berberis cabrerae Berberis chillanensis Berberis montana South America, evergreen Berberis actinacantha Berberis buxifolia Berberis comberi Berberis darwinii Berberis empetrifolia Berberis hakeoides Berberis heterophylla Berberis ilicifolia Berberis linearifolia Berberis negeriana Berberis trigona Berberis valdiviana

Gallery

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  Berberis gagnepainii three-spined thorn (modified long shoot leaf) with leafy short shoot. Each thorn is 20 mm long.

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  Berberis verruculosa upper side of shoot above, lower side below.

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  Berberis gagnepainii flower detail (flowers 7 mm diameter).

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  Berberis gagnepainii fruit.

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  Berberis thunbergii shrub.

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Berberis. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Berberis QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)