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California barberry, California Oregon-grape, shiny leaf mahonia

Wilcox's barberry, Wilcox's hollygrape

Habit Shrubs, evergreen, 0.3-1.6(-7) m. Stems usually monomorphic, seldom with short axillary shoots. Shrubs, evergreen, 0.3-2 m. Stems ± monomorphic, seldom with short axillary shoots.
Bark

of 2d-year stems grayish brown, glabrous.

of 2d-year stems purple or brown, glabrous.

Leaves

(3-)5-13-foliolate;

petioles 0.5-4.5(-7.5) cm.

5-9-foliolate;

petioles 1-5 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 thick and rigid;

surfaces abaxially dull, papillose, adaxially glossy, green;

terminal leaflet stalked, blade 2.6-6.6 × 1.7-4.4 cm, 1-2.5 times as long as wide;

lateral leaflet blades oblong to ovate or elliptic, 1-3-veined from base, base obtuse to rounded or truncate, margins plane to crispate, toothed, each with 3-5 teeth 1-5 mm tipped with spines to 1.2-3.8 × 0.2-0.6 mm, apex acute to rounded.

Spines

absent.

absent.

Inflorescences

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

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

racemose, dense, 30-50-flowered, 2-7 cm;

bracteoles membranous, apex rounded or obtuse.

Flowers

anther filaments with distal pair of recurved lateral teeth.

Berries

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

blue, glaucous, oblong-ovoid, 6-11 mm, juicy, solid.

Bud

scales 3-7 mm, deciduous.

scales 2-6 mm, deciduous.

Anther

filaments with distal pair of recurved lateral teeth.

Berberis pinnata

Berberis wilcoxii

Phenology Flowering spring (Apr–May).
Habitat Slopes and canyons
Elevation 1500-2500 m (4900-8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico (Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county 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.)

Berberis wilcoxii has not been tested for resistance 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. nevinii, B. pinnata, B. piperiana, B. pumila, B. repens, B. swaseyi, B. thunbergii, B. trifoliolata, B. vulgaris
Subordinate taxa
B. pinnata subsp. insularis, B. pinnata subsp. pinnata
Synonyms Mahonia pinnata
Name authority Lagasca: Elench. Pl., 14. (1816) Kearney: Trans. New York Acad. Sci. 14: 29. (1894)
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