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California barberry, California Oregon-grape, shiny leaf mahonia

Nevin's barberry

Habit Shrubs, evergreen, 0.3-1.6(-7) m. Stems usually monomorphic, seldom with 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 grayish brown, glabrous.

of 2d-year stems grayish or brownish purple, glabrous.

Leaves

(3-)5-13-foliolate;

petioles 0.5-4.5(-7.5) cm.

3-5(-7)-foliolate;

petioles 0.2-0.7 cm.

Leaflet

blades thin and ± rigid or flexible;

surfaces abaxially glossy, smooth, adaxially glossy, green;

terminal leaflet stalked, blade 2.6-6.2 × 2-4.5 cm, 1.3-1.9 times as long as wide;

lateral leaflet blades elliptic to ovate or broadly lanceolate, 1(-3)-veined from base, base broadly obtuse, truncate, or weakly cordate, margins plane to crispate, toothed, each with 5-22 teeth 0-2 mm tipped with spines to 1-3 × 0.1-0.3 mm, apex acute to rounded-obtuse.

blades thin but rigid;

surfaces abaxially dull, papillose, adaxially dull, glaucous;

terminal leaflet stalked in most or all leaves, blade 2.1-4.1 × 0.7-1.1 cm, 3-6 times as long as wide;

lateral leaflet blades lance-ovate or lance-elliptic to lanceolate, 1-veined from base, base obtuse or rounded, margins plane or undulate, toothed, each with 4-11 teeth 0-1 mm high tipped with spines to 0.4-2 × 0.1-0.2 mm, apex acuminate.

Spines

absent.

absent.

Inflorescences

racemose, dense, 25-50-flowered, 2-9 cm;

bracteoles membranous, apex rounded to broadly acute, sometimes apiculate.

racemose, lax, 3-8-flowered, 2-5 cm;

bracteoles membranous, apex acuminate, sometimes with proximal bracteoles leathery, spinose-acuminate.

Flowers

anther filaments with distal pair of recurved lateral teeth.

Berries

blue, glaucous, oblong-ovoid to subspheric, 6-7 mm, juicy, solid.

yellowish red to red, not glaucous, spheric, 5-6 mm, juicy, solid.

Bud

scales 3-7 mm, deciduous.

scales 2-3 mm, deciduous.

Anther

filaments with distal pair of recurved lateral teeth.

Berberis pinnata

Berberis nevinii

Phenology Flowering winter–spring (Feb–May).
Habitat Sandy slopes and washes in chaparral, coastal scrub, and riparian scrub
Elevation 0-600 m (0-2000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Berberis pinnata is very similar to B. aquifolium, and the two are sometimes difficult to separate. Some authors have used the spacing of the lateral leaflets (said to be contiguous or imbricate in B. pinnata and remote in B. aquifolium) to separate them, but the leaflets are often remote in both species and may be contiguous in B. aquifolium.

Berberis pinnata is resistant to infection by Puccinia graminis.

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

Of conservation concern.

Berberis nevinii is known from scattered populations from San Francisquito Canyon, north of Valencia, south to Dripping Springs, near Aguanga. It is susceptible to infection by Puccinia graminis.

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

Key
1. Margins of leaf blade undulate or crispate, marginal spines to 1.2-3 × 0.2-0.3 mm; shrubs 0.3-1.6 m, self-supporting.
subsp. pinnata
1. Margins of leaf blade plane or weakly undulate, marginal spines to 1-1.6 × 0.1- 0.2 mm; shrubs 1-7 m, self-supporting or clambering over surrounding vegetation.
subsp. insularis
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Berberidaceae > Berberis Berberidaceae > Berberis
Sibling taxa
B. amplectens, B. aquifolium, B. bealei, B. canadensis, B. darwinii, B. dictyota, B. fendleri, B. fremontii, B. haematocarpa, B. harrisoniana, B. higginsiae, B. nervosa, B. nevinii, 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. haematocarpa, B. harrisoniana, B. higginsiae, B. nervosa, B. pinnata, B. piperiana, B. pumila, B. repens, B. swaseyi, B. thunbergii, B. trifoliolata, B. vulgaris, B. wilcoxii
Subordinate taxa
B. pinnata subsp. insularis, B. pinnata subsp. pinnata
Synonyms Mahonia pinnata Mahonia nevinii
Name authority Lagasca: Elench. Pl., 14. (1816) A. Gray: in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 1: 69. (1895)
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