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Broadleaf List |
Barberry Family [Berberidaceae] |
Flowers: |
Berries: (edible but acrid) |
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3rd July 2010, Hare Parrock, Silverdale, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Growing on the side of a farms drive-road. If this is a Wilson's Barberry, then it is a tall cultivated variety, for the genuine Wilson's Barberry grows to just 1m high rather that 3 or 4m high! |
3rd July 2010, Hare Parrock, Silverdale, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Flowers are small and yellow, not orange. |
3rd July 2010, Hare Parrock, Silverdale, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Flowers grow in small bunches along the length of new branches. Also - if this is a kind of Wilson's Barberry, then the leaves should be between 1cm and 2.5cm long. |
3rd July 2010, Hare Parrock, Silverdale, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Most flowers appear globular, having not opened yet. The leaves are matt and longish, widest near the end, some with a short terminal point or several other points around the periphery of the leaf. And the flowers, for Wilson's Barberry, should number between 1 and about 6 within one panicle (there seem many more than 6 in a panicle here!). The leaf shape and edges are good: there should be no leaf-teeth (or just but a few) |
3rd July 2010, Hare Parrock, Silverdale, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Some flowers have partially opened. This is usually as good as it gets. |
3rd July 2010, Hare Parrock, Silverdale, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
As with all Barberries, there are triple-barbs every so often along the stem, hence the name 'barb-berry'. New twigs are light brownish. |
3rd July 2010, Hare Parrock, Silverdale, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
the flowers have perhaps three cupped yellow sepals surrounding five cupped yellow petals. When flowers lose their petals the remaining stump looks like a bit of turned spindle, not un-like a bobbin (top right). |
3rd July 2010, Hare Parrock, Silverdale, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
The leaves are light-green, matt, longish and narrowish, widest near the (rounded) end with a short terminal point. Faint veins visible by transmitted light. |
3rd July 2010, Hare Parrock, Silverdale, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
The leaves and new branches have a distinct tendency to go reddish, especially at the edges. Note the numerous triple barbs. |
3rd July 2010, Hare Parrock, Silverdale, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
The spines are mostly in threes (3-partite) and are almost at right-angles to each other. The very similar Thunberg's Barberry usually has single spines and flowers with red patches on them and leaves that turn purple). |
Not to be semantically confused with : Wilson's Honeysuckle, a shrub with a similar name belonging to a differing family. Some similarities to : other Barberry shrubs. Uniquely identifiable characteristics
Distinguishing Feature : The matt longish leaves, wider at the (rounded) end, with a terminal point. The flowers are yellow un-like the orange ones of Mrs Wilson's Barberry is a shrub, like all other Barberrys, but a rather low-growing one, growing up to 1m high. The berries are edible, rich in Vitamin C, but very astringent.
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Berberis | wilsoniae | ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ | Berberidaceae |
Berberis (Barberries) |
Barberry Family [Berberidaceae] |