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agarito, agritos, algerita, currant-of-Texas

creeping barberry, creeping Oregon-grape, prostrate barberry

Habit Shrubs, evergreen, 1-3.5 m. Stems ± dimorphic, with elongate primary and short axillary shoots. Shrubs, evergreen, 0.02-0.2(-0.6) m. Stems monomorphic, usually without short axillary shoots.
Bark

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

of 2d-year stems grayish or purplish brown, glabrous.

Leaves

3-foliolate;

petioles 0.8-5.4 cm.

(3-)5-7-foliolate;

petioles (1-)3-9 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.

blades thin and flexible;

surfaces abaxially dull, papillose, adaxially dull, rarely glossy, somewhat glaucous;

terminal leaflet stalked, blade 3.2-9.5 × 2.3-6 cm, 1.2-2.2(-2.5) times as long as wide;

lateral leaflets ovate or elliptic, 1(-3)-veined from base, base rounded to obtuse or truncate, margins plane, toothed, with 6-24 teeth 0.5-3 mm tipped with spines to 0.6-2.8 × 0.1-0.25 mm, apex rounded, rarely obtuse or even broadly acute.

Spines

absent.

absent.

Inflorescences

racemose, lax, 1-8-flowered, 0.5-3 cm;

bracteoles membranous, apex acuminate.

racemose, dense, 25-50-flowered, 3-10 cm;

bracteoles membranous, apex rounded to obtuse or broadly acute.

Flowers

anther filaments without distal pair of recurved lateral teeth.

Berries

red, sometimes glaucous, spheric, 6-11 mm, juicy, solid.

blue, glaucous, oblong-ovoid, 6-10 mm, juicy, solid.

Bud

scales 2-3 mm, deciduous.

scales 3-8 mm, deciduous.

Anther

filaments with distal pair of recurved lateral teeth.

2n

= 28.

Berberis trifoliolata

Berberis repens

Phenology Flowering winter–spring (Feb–Apr). Flowering spring (Apr–Jun).
Habitat Slopes and flats in grassland, shrubland, and sometimes open woodland Open forest, shrubland, and grassland
Elevation 0-2000 m (0-6600 ft) 200-3000 m (700-9800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MN; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; OR; SD; TX; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

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.)

Berberis sonnei was described based on plants with relatively narrow, rather shiny leaflets collected by Sonne in Truckee, California. Subsequent collections from this population show the morphology typical of B. repens; Sonne's collections evidently are an aberrant form of this species.

Berberis repens is resistant to infection by Puccinia graminis.

Various Native American tribes used preparations of the roots of Berberis repens to treat stomach troubles, to prevent bloody dysentary, and as a blood purifier; mixed with whiskey, it was used for bladder problems, venereal diseases, general aches, and kidney problems; and preparations made from the entire plant served as a cure-all and as a lotion for scorpion bites (D. E. Moermann 1986).

(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. 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. 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. swaseyi, B. thunbergii, B. trifoliolata, B. vulgaris, B. wilcoxii
Synonyms Mahonia trifoliolata B. aquifolium var. repens, B. sonnei, Mahonia repens, Mahonia sonnei
Name authority Moricand: Pl. Nouv. Amér., 113. (1841) Lindley: Bot. Reg., plate 1176. (1828)
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