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agarito, agritos, algerita, currant-of-Texas

Wilcox's barberry, Wilcox's hollygrape

Habit Shrubs, evergreen, 1-3.5 m. Stems ± dimorphic, with elongate primary and short axillary shoots. Shrubs, evergreen, 0.3-2 m. Stems ± monomorphic, seldom 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.

5-9-foliolate;

petioles 1-5 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 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, lax, 1-8-flowered, 0.5-3 cm;

bracteoles membranous, apex acuminate.

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

bracteoles membranous, apex rounded or obtuse.

Flowers

anther filaments without distal pair of recurved lateral teeth.

anther filaments with distal pair of recurved lateral teeth.

Berries

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

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

Bud

scales 2-3 mm, deciduous.

scales 2-6 mm, deciduous.

Berberis trifoliolata

Berberis wilcoxii

Phenology Flowering winter–spring (Feb–Apr). Flowering spring (Apr–May).
Habitat Slopes and flats in grassland, shrubland, and sometimes open woodland Slopes and canyons
Elevation 0-2000 m (0-6600 ft) 1500-2500 m (4900-8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico (Sonora)
[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.)

Berberis wilcoxii has not been tested for resistance 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
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. thunbergii, B. trifoliolata, B. vulgaris
Synonyms Mahonia trifoliolata
Name authority Moricand: Pl. Nouv. Amér., 113. (1841) Kearney: Trans. New York Acad. Sci. 14: 29. (1894)
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