The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

darwin's barberry

barberry, mahonia, Oregon-grape

Habit Evergreen shrubs, 1-3 m. tall, the stems dimorphic, with elongate primary and short axillary shoots; second year bark brown-woolly; stems spiny.
Leaves

Leaves simple;

petioles 0.1-0.3 cm. long;

leaf blades obovate, 1-veined from the base, 1.7-3 cm. long and 0.9-2 cm. wide, thick and rigid, the base acute, the margins wavy, reflexed, toothed or shallowly lobed, these tipped with spines, the tip rounded, the surface glossy green.

Flowers

Inflorescence a dense, 10- to 20-flowered raceme 3-4 cm. long;

flowers yellow, with 6 sepals, 6 petals, and 3 membranous, scale-like bracteoles;

stamens 6.

Fruits

Berries purple, spheric, 6-7 mm. in diameter, juicy and firm.

Berberis darwinii

Berberis

Habitat Prefers high humidity; rarely escapes cultivation
Distribution
Occasional near the coast in Oregon and California.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[BONAP county map]
Origin Introduced Native
Conservation status Not of concern Not of concern
Sibling taxa
B. julianae, B. thunbergii, B. vulgaris
Subordinate taxa
B. darwinii, B. julianae, B. thunbergii, B. vulgaris
Web links