''Berberis'' (), commonly known as barberry, is a large

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

and

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s from tall, found throughout

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

and

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

regions of the world (apart from Australia). Species diversity is greatest in South America and Asia; Europe, Africa and North America have native species as well. The best-known ''Berberis'' species is the European barberry, ''

Berberis vulgaris ''Berberis vulgaris'', also known as common barberry, European barberry or simply barberry, is a shrub in the genus ''Berberis'' native to the Old World. It produces edible but sharply acidic berries, which people in many countries eat as a ta ...

'', which is common in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and central Asia, and has been widely introduced in North America. Many of the species have spines on the shoots and all along the margins of the leaves.

Description

The genus ''Berberis'' has dimorphic shoots: long shoots which form the structure of the plant, and short shoots only long. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

on long shoots are non-

photosynthetic Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored in c ...

, developed into one to three or more spines long. The bud in the

axil A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

of each thorn-leaf then develops a short shoot with several normal, photosynthetic leaves. These leaves are long, simple, and either entire, or with spiny margins. Only on young seedlings do leaves develop on the long shoots, with the adult foliage style developing after the young plant is 1–2 years old. Many deciduous species, such as ''

Berberis thunbergii ''Berberis thunbergii'', the Japanese barberry, Thunberg's barberry, or red barberry, is a species of flowering plant in the barberry family Berberidaceae, native to Japan and eastern Asia, though widely naturalized in China and North America, w ...

and B. vulgaris'', are noted for their attractive pink or red autumn color. In some evergreen species from China, such as '' B. candidula and B. verruculosa'', the undersides of the leaves are brilliant white, a feature valued horticulturally. Some horticultural variants of ''B. thunbergii'' have dark red to violet foliage. The flowers are produced singly or in

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

s of up to 20 on a single flower-head. They are yellow or orange, long,

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s are usually six, rarely three or nine and there are six

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s in alternating whorls of three, the sepals usually colored like the petals. The fruit is a small

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

long, ripening red or dark blue, often with a pink or violet waxy surface bloom; in some species, they may be long and narrow, but are spherical in other species. Some authors regard the compound-leaved species as belonging to a different genus, ''

Mahonia ''Mahonia'' is a genus of approximately 70 species of evergreen shrubs and, rarely, small trees in the family Berberidaceae, native to eastern Asia, the Himalaya, North and Central America. They are closely related to the genus ''Berberis'' and ...

''. There are no consistent differences between the two groups other than the leaf

pinnation Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and in ...

(''Berberis sensu stricto'' appear to have simple leaves, but these are in reality compound with a single leaflet; they are termed "unifoliolate"), and many botanists prefer to classify all these plants in the single genus ''Berberis''. However, a recent DNA-based

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

study retains the two separate genera, by clarifying that unifoliolate-leaved ''Berberis s.s.'' is derived from within a

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

group of shrubs bearing imparipinnate evergreen leaves, which the paper then divides into three genera: ''Mahonia'', '' Alloberberis'' (formerly ''Mahonia'' section ''Horridae''), and '' Moranothamnus'' (formerly ''Berberis claireae''); it confirms that a broadly-circumscribed ''Berberis'' (that is, including ''Mahonia'', ''Alloberberis'', and ''Moranothamnus'') is

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

Ecology

''Berberis'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

species, including the

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

s barberry carpet moth ('' Pareulype berberata''), and mottled pug (''

Eupithecia exiguata The mottled pug (''Eupithecia exiguata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1813. It is found across the Palearctic region apart from around the Mediterranean Sea. It is common in the Brit ...

''). ''Berberis'' species can infect wheat with

stem rust Stem rust, also known as cereal rust, black rust, red rust or red dust, is caused by the fungus ''Puccinia graminis'', which causes significant disease in cereal crops. Crop species that are affected by the disease include bread wheat, durum w ...

, a serious fungal disease of wheat and related grains. ''

'' (European barberry) and '' Berberis canadensis'' (American barberry) serve as alternate host species of the

rust fungus Rusts are plant diseases caused by pathogenic fungi of the order Pucciniales (previously known as Uredinales). An estimated 168 rust genera and approximately 7,000 species, more than half of which belong to the genus ''Puccinia'', are currently ...

responsible, the wheat rust fungus ''(Puccinia graminis)''. For this reason, cultivation of ''B. vulgaris'' is prohibited in many areas, and imports to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

are forbidden. The North American ''B. canadensis'', native to

Appalachia Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ca ...

and the

Midwest United States The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

, was nearly eradicated for this reason, and is now rarely seen extant, with the most remaining occurrences in the

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

mountains. Some ''Berberis'' species have become invasive when planted outside of their native ranges, including ''B. glaucocarpa'' and '' B. darwinii'' in New Zealand (where it is now banned from sale and propagation), and ''B. vulgaris'' and green-leaved '' B. thunbergii'' in much of the eastern United States. Japanese barberry is considered an invasive plant in 32 US states. It is deer-resistant because of its taste and is favored as a shelter for ticks capable of transmitting lyme disease.

Cultivation

Several species of ''Berberis'' are popular garden shrubs, grown for such features as ornamental leaves, yellow flowers, or red or blue-black berries. Numerous

cultivars A cultivar is a type of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and when Plant propagation, propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and st ...

and hybrids have been selected for garden use. Low-growing ''Berberis'' plants are also commonly planted as pedestrian barriers. Taller-growing species are valued for crime prevention; being dense and viciously spiny, they are effective barriers to burglars. Thus they are often planted below vulnerable windows, and used as hedges. Many species are resistant to predation by deer. Species in cultivation include: *'' B. darwinii'' *'' B. dictyophylla'' *'' B. julianae'' *'' B. thunbergii'' *'' B. verruculosa'' The following hybrid selections have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

: *''B.'' 'Georgei' *''B.'' × ''lologensis'' 'Apricot Queen' *''B.'' × ''media'' 'Red Jewel' *''B.'' × ''stenophylla'' 'Corallina Compacta' *''B.'' × ''stenophylla'' (golden barberry)

Culinary uses

''Berberis vulgaris'' grows in the wild in much of Europe and West Asia. It produces large crops of edible berries, rich in

vitamin C Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits and vegetables, also sold as a dietary supplement and as a topical 'serum' ingredient to treat melasma (dark pigment spots) an ...

, but with a sharp acid flavour. In Europe for many centuries the berries were used for culinary purposes much as citrus peel is used. Today in Europe they are very infrequently used. The country in which they are used the most is

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, where they are referred to as ''zereshk'' () in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

. The berries are common in

Persian cuisine Iranian cuisine () refers to the culinary practices of Iran. Due to the historically common usage of the term "Persia" to refer to Iran in the Western world,Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 ( ...

such as in

pilaf Pilaf ( US spelling) or pilau ( UK spelling) is a rice dish, or in some regions, a wheat dish, whose recipe usually involves cooking in stock or broth, adding spices, and other ingredients such as vegetables or meat, and employing some techniq ...

(''zereshk polo'') and as a flavouring for poultry. Because of their sour flavor, they are sometimes cooked with sugar before being added to Persian rice. Iranian markets sell dried zereshk. In Russia and Eastern Europe, it is sometimes used in jams as a source of

pectin Pectin ( grc, πηκτικός ': "congealed" and "curdled") is a heteropolysaccharide, a structural acid contained in the primary lamella, in the middle lamella, and in the cell walls of terrestrial plants. The principal, chemical component of ...

(especially with mixed berries). An extract of barberries is a common flavoring for soft drinks, candies, and sweets. ''

Berberis microphylla ''Berberis microphylla'', common name box-leaved barberry and Magellan barberry, in Spanish calafate and michay and other names, is an evergreen shrub, with simple, shiny box-like leaves. The calafate is native to southern Argentina and Chile a ...

'' and '' B. darwinii'' (both known as ''calafate'' and ''michay'') are two species found in

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and gl ...

in Argentina and Chile. Their edible purple fruits are used for jams and infusions.

Traditional medicine

The dried fruit of ''

'' is used in

herbal medicine Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remed ...

. The chemical constituents include isoquinolone

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

s, especially

berberine Berberine is a quaternary ammonium salt from the protoberberine group of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids found in such plants as ''Berberis vulgaris'' (barberry), '' Berberis aristata'' (tree turmeric), '' Mahonia aquifolium'' (Oregon grape), '' Hyd ...

. A full list of phytochemicals was compiled and published in 2014. The safety of using berberine for any condition is not adequately defined by high-quality clinical research. Its potential for causing

adverse effect An adverse effect is an undesired harmful effect resulting from a medication or other intervention, such as surgery. An adverse effect may be termed a "side effect", when judged to be secondary to a main or therapeutic effect. The term complica ...

s is high, including untoward interactions with

prescription drug A prescription drug (also prescription medication or prescription medicine) is a pharmaceutical drug that legally requires a medical prescription to be dispensed. In contrast, over-the-counter drugs can be obtained without a prescription. The rea ...

s, reducing the intended effect of established therapies. It is particularly unsafe for use in children.

Other uses

Historically, yellow dye was extracted from the stem, root, and bark. The thorns of the barberry shrub have been used to clean ancient gold coins, as they are soft enough that they will not damage the surface but will remove corrosion and debris. The acidic young leaves are sometimes chewed for refreshment by parched hikers.

Gallery

File:Berberis-aggregata.JPG, ''Berberis aggregata'', fruits. File:BerberisAculeata.jpg, ''Berberis aristata'', from the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

File:Berberis gagnepainii thorn.jpg, ''Berberis'' hybrid, with three-spined thorn (modified long shoot leaf) with leafy short shoot. Each thorn is long. File:Berberis gagnepainii flowers.jpg, ''Berberis'' hybrid, flower detail (flowers diameter). File:Berberis gagnepainii fruit.jpg, ''Berberis'' hybrid, fruit. File:Berberis-thunbergii.JPG, ''Berberis thunbergii'', shrub. File:Berberis valdiviana 120502-2.jpg, ''Berberis valdiviana'', flowers, from

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

(cultivated at

Birmingham Botanical Gardens (United Kingdom) The Birmingham Botanical Gardens are a botanical garden situated in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England. The gardens are located south-west of Birmingham city centre at . Designed in 1829, the gardens are Grade II* listed in Historic Englands's R ...

) File:Berberis verruculosa leaves.jpg, ''Berberis verruculosa'', upper side of shoot above, lower side below. File:Berberis-vulgaris-flowers.jpg, ''Berberis vulgaris'', flowers and foliage, cultivated in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

File:Berberis prattii1.jpg, ''Berberis prattii'', fruit File:Barberry blossom in Eastern Siberia.jpg, Barberry blossom in Eastern Siberia

References

* * *
Royal New Zealand Institute of horticulture. ''Berberis glaucocarpa''

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q158503 Berberidaceae genera Berries CYP3A4 inhibitors Medicinal plants Plants used in bonsai Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus