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MRS WILSON'S BARBERRY

Berberis wilsoniae

Barberry Family [Berberidaceae]  

Flowers:
month8may month8jun month8june month8jul month8july

Berries: berryZpossible        berryZgreen berryZred  (edible but acrid)
berry8Aug berry8Sep berry8Sept berry8Oct berry8Nov

category
category8Shrubs
 
category
category8Evergreen
 
category
category8Broadleaf
 
status
statusZneophyte
 
flower
flower8yellow
 
morph
morph8actino
 
petals
petalsZ5
 
type
typeZpanicle
 
stem
stem8round
 
stem
stem8spines stem8thorns
spines
contact
contactZlowish
 

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 Darwin's Berberry. The fruits are pinkish-red and round unlike the elongated and slightly curved fruits of Barberry.

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.


  Berberis wilsoniae  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Berberidaceae  

Distribution
 family8Barberry family8Berberidaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Berberis
Berberis
(Barberries)

MRS WILSON'S BARBERRY

Berberis wilsoniae

Barberry Family [Berberidaceae]  

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