Berberis - barberry

Berberis (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. They are an important food for many small birds, which disperse the seeds in their droppings. In Iran, the dried fruits, known as zereshk, are more widely used, imparting a tart flavor to chicken dishes. In Ukraine, they are used as the flavouring in a popular candy of the same name. In Kazakhstan the dried fruits are used to add flavour to a traditional dish Plov (lamb with rice). Historically, yellow dye was extracted from the stem, root, and bark.

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.


Selected species
Berberis candidula. It is endemic to China.

Berberis julianae (Wintergreen barberry or Chinese barberry) is a shrub of the Berberidaceae family. The species is native to Central China but has been grown elsewhere as ornamental plant.

Berberis darwinii is a species of barberry, native to southern South America in southern Chile and adjacent southwestern Argentina. Common names include Darwin's Barberry and (Chilean Spanish) Michay. It is an evergreen thorny shrub growing to 3-4 m tall, with dense branches from ground level. The leaves are small oval, 12-25 mm long and 5-12 mm broad, with a spiny margin; they are borne in clusters of 2-5 together, subtended by a three-branched spine 2-4 mm long. The flowers are orange, 4-5 mm long, produced in dense racemes 2-7 cm long in spring. The fruit is a small purple-black berry 4-7 mm diameter, ripening in summer. It was discovered (for Western science) in South America in 1835 by Charles Darwin during the voyage of the 'Beagle'. It is a popular garden and hedging shrub in the British Isles and Ireland. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its Award of Garden Merit. The fruit is edible, though very acidic.

Berberis buxifolia, common name the Magellan Barberry, in Spanish Calafate, is an evergreen shrub, with shiny box-like leaves. The Calafate is native to the south of Argentina and Chile and is a symbol of Patagonia. The bush grows to a height of 1 - 1.5 m. It has many arching branches, each covered in many tripartite spines. The bush has many small yellow flowers in summer. Its edible blue-black berries are harvested for jams, but are eaten fresh too - a legend tells that anyone who eats a Calafate berry will be certain to return to Patagonia. The Calafate is grown commercially for its fruit, potential medical uses and as a garden plant or bonsai. Its wood is used to make a red dye. The cultivar Berberis buxifolia 'Nana' is widely available as a garden shrub, and is also used in commercial plantings as a low spiny hedge to discourage intruders, but it does not fruit.

Berberis negeriana is a species of barberry, native and endemic to an extremely small area in coastal range of Bio-Bio Region in Chile. Common name include Neger's Barberry and (Chilean Spanish) Michay de Neger. It is an evergreen thorny shrub growing to 2-3 m tall. Its flowers are yellow. It is considered as a threatened woody shrub and only two natural populations are known, nearby the city of Concepción, Chile.

Berberis verruculosa, common name the Warty Barberry, is an evergreen shrub, ranging in size from 1-2 m, native to western China. The leaves are 1.5-2 cm long, hard, leathery, glossy dark green above, vivid white below with stomatal wax; in cold winter weather, the leaves may turn purplish-green above on exposed shoots. The flowers are small, yellow, and mature into dark purple fruit 6-10 mm long. It gets its common name from its "warty" stems, that have rounded, more or less identical, raised spots. It thrives in shade or partial shade.

Berberis vulgaris (European Barberry) is a shrub in the family Berberidaceae, native to central and southern Europe, northwest Africa and western Asia; it is also naturalised in northern Europe, including the British Isles and Scandinavia, and North America. It is a deciduous shrub growing up to 4 m high. The leaves are small oval, 2-5 cm long and 1-2 cm broad, with a serrated margin; they are borne in clusters of 2-5 together, subtended by a three-branched spine 3-8 mm long. The flowers are yellow, 4-6 mm across, produced on 3-6 cm long panicles in late spring. The fruit is an oblong red berry 7-10 mm long and 3-5 mm broad, ripening in late summer or autumn; they are edible but very sour, and rich in Vitamin C.

Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry or Thunberg's Barberry, also Red Barberry) is a species of Berberis, native to Japan and eastern Asia. It is a dense, deciduous, spiny shrub which grows 1-2 (3) m high. It has deeply grooved, brown, spiny branches with a single (occasionally tridentine) spine (actually a highly modified leaf) at each shoot node. The leaves are green to blue-green, very small, spatula to oval shaped, 12-24 mm long and 3-15 mm broad; they are produced in clusters of 2-6 on a dwarf shoot in the axil of each spine. The flowers are pale yellow, 5-8 mm diameter, produced in drooping 1-1.5 cm long umbrella-shaped clusters of 2–5; flowering is from mid spring to early summer. The fruit is a glossy bright red to orange-red, ovoid berry 7-10 mm long and 4-7 mm broad, containing a single seed. They mature during late summer and fall and persist through the winter.

Berberis pruinosa

Berberis vernae

Berberis sargentiana

Berberis replicata

Berberis soulieana

Berberis sublevis

Berberis wilsoniae

Berberis sikkimensis

Berberis virescens

Berberis virgetorum

Berberis silva-taroucana

Berberis yunnanensis

Berberis zabeliana

Berberis taliensis

Berberis tsangpoensis

Berberis sieboldii

Berberis temolaica

Berberis umbellata

Berberis veitchii

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