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Darwin's barberry, Darwin's berberis

Beale's barberry, Chinese mahonia, leatherleaf mahonia

Habit Shrubs, evergreen, 1-3 m. Stems dimorphic, with elongate primary and short axillary shoots. Shrubs, evergreen, 1-2 m. Stems monomorphic, without short axillary shoots.
Bark

of 2d-year stems brown, densely tomentose.

of 2d-year stems tan, 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.

5-9-foliolate;

petioles 2-8 cm.

Leaflet

blades thick and rigid;

surfaces abaxially smooth, shiny, adaxially dull, gray-green;

terminal leaflet stalked, blade 6.5-9.3 × 4-7 cm, 1.3-2.3 times as long as wide;

lateral leaflet blades ovate or lance-ovate, 4-6-veined from base, base truncate or weakly cordate, margins plane, toothed, with 2-7 teeth 3-8 mm tipped with spines to 1.4-4 × 0.3-0.6 mm, apex acuminate.

Spines

present, pedately 5-9-fid.

absent.

Inflorescences

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

bracteoles membranous, apex acuminate.

racemose, dense, 70-150-flowered, 5-17 cm;

bracteoles ± corky, apex rounded to acute.

Flowers

anther filaments without distal pair of recurved lateral teeth.

Berries

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

dark blue, glaucous, oblong-ovoid, 9-12 mm, juicy, solid.

Bud

scales 2-4 mm, deciduous.

scales 11-13 mm, persistent.

Berberis darwinii

Berberis bealei

Phenology Flowering winter (Feb). Flowering fall–winter (Dec–Mar).
Habitat Humid areas near coast Open woodlands and shrublands
Elevation 0-20 m (0-100 ft) 100-500 m (300-1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; native; s South America [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; GA; NC; VA; native; Asia (China) [Introduced in North America]
[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.)

Berberis bealei is commonly cultivated; although it rarely escapes, it is locally naturalized in the southeastern United States. It is resistant 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. canadensis, B. darwinii, 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
Synonyms Mahonia bealei
Name authority Hooker: Icon. Pl. 7: 672. (1844) Fortune: Gard. Chron. 1850: 212. (1850)
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