Berberis thunbergii |
Berberis trifoliolata |
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Japanese barberry |
agarito, agritos, algerita, currant-of-Texas |
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Habit | Shrubs, deciduous, 0.3-3 m. Stems dimorphic, with short axillary shoots. | Shrubs, evergreen, 1-3.5 m. Stems ± dimorphic, with elongate primary and short axillary shoots. |
Bark | of 2d-year stems purple or brown, glabrous. |
of 2d-year stems gray or grayish purple, glabrous. |
Leaves | blade obovate to spatulate, 1-veined from base, (0.5-)1.2-2.4 × 0.3-1(-1.8) cm, thin and flexible, base long-attenuate, margins plane, entire, apex rounded or obtuse; surfaces abaxially dull, smooth, adaxially dull, scarcely glaucous. |
3-foliolate; petioles 0.8-5.4 cm. |
Leaflet | blades thick and rigid; surfaces abaxially dull, papillose, adaxially dull, ± glaucous; terminal leaflet sessile, blade 2.3-5.8 × 0.9-2 cm, 1.6-3.1 times as long as wide; lateral leaflet blades narrowly lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, 1-veined from base, base acute or acuminate, rarely rounded-acute, margins plane, toothed or lobed, with 1-3 teeth or lobes 3-7 mm high tipped with spines to 1-2 × 0.2-0.3 mm, apex narrowly acute or acuminate. |
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Spines | present, simple or 3-fid. |
absent. |
Inflorescences | umbellate, 1-5-flowered, 1-1.5 cm; bracteoles membranous, apex acute. |
racemose, lax, 1-8-flowered, 0.5-3 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 | red, ellipsoid or spheric, (7-)9-10 mm, juicy, solid. |
red, sometimes glaucous, spheric, 6-11 mm, juicy, solid. |
Bud | scales 1-2 mm, deciduous. |
scales 2-3 mm, deciduous. |
Berberis thunbergii |
Berberis trifoliolata |
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Phenology | Flowering late winter–spring (Mar–May). | Flowering winter–spring (Feb–Apr). |
Habitat | Woods, old fields, roadsides | Slopes and flats in grassland, shrubland, and sometimes open woodland |
Elevation | 0-1300 m (0-4300 ft) | 0-2000 m (0-6600 ft) |
Distribution |
CT; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; SD; VA; VT; WI; WV; WY; NB; NS; ON; PE; native; Asia (Japan) [Introduced in North America]
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AZ; NM; TX; n Mexico
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Discussion | The U.S. Department of Agriculture lists Berberis thunbergii as resistant to infection by Puccinia graminis, and the species is widely grown as an ornamental in the United States. Preliminary tests carried out by Agriculture Canada, however, suggest that some strains may be susceptible to Puccinia graminis infection, and cultivation of B. thunbergii is illegal in Canada. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
The illegitimate name Berberis trifoliolata Moricand var. glauca (I. M. Johnston) M. C. Johnston has been used for plants with very strongly glaucous leaves. Weakly and strongly glaucous plants are often found in the same population, however, indicating that they are not distinct varieties. Berberis trifoliolata 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 | ||
Synonyms | Mahonia trifoliolata | |
Name authority | de Candolle: Syst. Nat. 2: 19. (1821) | Moricand: Pl. Nouv. Amér., 113. (1841) |
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