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Darwin's barberry, Darwin's berberis

algerita, red barberry, red fruit mahonia

Habit Shrubs, evergreen, 1-3 m. Stems dimorphic, with elongate primary and short axillary shoots. Shrubs, evergreen, 1-4 m. Stems ± dimorphic, with elongate primary and short or somewhat elongate axillary shoots.
Bark

of 2d-year stems brown, densely tomentose.

of 2d-year stems grayish purple, glabrous.

Leaves

blade obovate, 1-veined from base, 1.7-3 × 0.9-1.2 cm, thick and rigid, base acute or acuminate, margins reflexed, undulate, toothed or shallowly lobed, each with 2-4 teeth or lobes 1-3 mm high tipped with spines to 1.2-1.6 × 0.2-0.3 mm, apex obtuse or rounded;

surfaces abaxially glossy, smooth, adaxially glossy, green.

3-9-foliolate;

petioles 0.1-0.5 cm.

Leaflet

blades thick and rigid;

surfaces abaxially dull, papillose, adaxially dull, glaucous;

terminal leaflet stalked in most leaves, blade 1.5-3.8 × 0.5-1.1 cm, 2-5 times as long as wide;

lateral leaflet blades oblong-ovate to ovate or lanceolate, 1(-3)-veined from base, base acute to obtuse, rarely subtruncate, margins undulate or crispate, toothed or lobed, with 2-4 teeth 1-4 mm high tipped with spines to 1.2-2 × 0.2-0.3 mm, apex narrowly acute or acuminate.

Spines

present, pedately 5-9-fid.

absent.

Inflorescences

racemose, rather dense, 10-20-flowered, 3-4 cm;

bracteoles membranous, apex acuminate.

racemose, lax, 3-7-flowered, 1.5–4.5 cm;

bracteoles membranous, apex acuminate.

Flowers

anther filaments without distal pair of recurved lateral teeth.

anther filaments without distal pair of recurved lateral teeth.

Berries

dark purple, spheric, 6-7 mm, juicy, solid.

purplish red, glaucous, spheric or short-ellipsoid, 5-8 mm, juicy, solid.

Bud

scales 2-4 mm, deciduous.

scales 2-4 mm, deciduous.

Berberis darwinii

Berberis haematocarpa

Phenology Flowering winter (Feb). Flowering winter–spring (Feb–Jun).
Habitat Humid areas near coast Slopes and flats in desert shrubland, desert grassland, and dry oak woodland
Elevation 0-20 m (0-100 ft) 900-2300 m (3000-7500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; native; s South America [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; NM; NV; TX; Mexico (Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Berberis darwinii only rarely escapes from cultivation. It is resistant to infection by Puccinia graminis.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Typical populations of Berberis haematocarpa (with narrowly ovate or lanceolate leaflets and small, juicy, deep red berries) and B. fremontii (with ovate or orbiculate leaflets and large, dry, inflated, yellowish or brownish berries) are easily distinguished. These characteristics are not always well correlated, however, and intermediate populations, showing different combinations of leaflet shape and berry size, color, and inflation, are known.

Berberis haematocarpa is susceptible to infection by Puccinia graminis.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Berberidaceae > Berberis Berberidaceae > Berberis
Sibling taxa
B. amplectens, B. aquifolium, B. bealei, B. canadensis, B. dictyota, B. fendleri, B. fremontii, B. haematocarpa, B. harrisoniana, B. higginsiae, B. nervosa, B. nevinii, B. pinnata, B. piperiana, B. pumila, B. repens, B. swaseyi, B. thunbergii, B. trifoliolata, B. vulgaris, B. wilcoxii
B. amplectens, B. aquifolium, B. bealei, B. canadensis, B. darwinii, B. dictyota, B. fendleri, B. fremontii, B. harrisoniana, B. higginsiae, B. nervosa, B. nevinii, B. pinnata, B. piperiana, B. pumila, B. repens, B. swaseyi, B. thunbergii, B. trifoliolata, B. vulgaris, B. wilcoxii
Synonyms B. nevinii var. haematocarpa, Mahonia haematocarpa
Name authority Hooker: Icon. Pl. 7: 672. (1844) Wooton: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 25: 304. (1898)
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