The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

agarito, agritos, algerita, currant-of-Texas

Japanese barberry

Habit Shrubs, evergreen, 1-3.5 m. Stems ± dimorphic, with elongate primary and short axillary shoots. Shrubs, deciduous, 0.3-3 m. Stems dimorphic, with short axillary shoots.
Bark

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

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

Leaves

3-foliolate;

petioles 0.8-5.4 cm.

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.

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.

Spines

absent.

present, simple or 3-fid.

Inflorescences

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

bracteoles membranous, apex acuminate.

umbellate, 1-5-flowered, 1-1.5 cm;

bracteoles membranous, apex acute.

Flowers

anther filaments without distal pair of recurved lateral teeth.

anther filaments without distal pair of recurved lateral teeth.

Berries

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

red, ellipsoid or spheric, (7-)9-10 mm, juicy, solid.

Bud

scales 2-3 mm, deciduous.

scales 1-2 mm, deciduous.

Berberis trifoliolata

Berberis thunbergii

Phenology Flowering winter–spring (Feb–Apr). Flowering late winter–spring (Mar–May).
Habitat Slopes and flats in grassland, shrubland, and sometimes open woodland Woods, old fields, roadsides
Elevation 0-2000 m (0-6600 ft) 0-1300 m (0-4300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
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]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county 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.)

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.)

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. repens, B. swaseyi, B. trifoliolata, B. vulgaris, B. wilcoxii
Synonyms Mahonia trifoliolata
Name authority Moricand: Pl. Nouv. Amér., 113. (1841) de Candolle: Syst. Nat. 2: 19. (1821)
Web links