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

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

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 Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

and

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

shrub A shrub or 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 by their multiple ...

s from tall, found throughout

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

and

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

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 tar ...

'', 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 (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

on long shoots are non-

photosynthetic Photosynthesis ( ) is a Biological system, system of biological processes by which Photoautotrophism, photosynthetic organisms, such as most plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, convert light energy, typically from sunlight, into the chemical ener ...

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

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

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 plant, native to Japan and eastern Asia, though widely naturalized in China and No ...

and B. vulgaris'', are noted for their attractive pink or red autumn colour. 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. Such as ''B. thunbergii'' f. ''atropurpurea'' 'Admiration', and ''B. thunbergii'' f. ''atropurpurea'' 'Atropurpurea Nana'. The flowers are produced singly or in

raceme A raceme () or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate growth, 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 ...

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 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

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

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s in alternating whorls of three, the sepals usually coloured 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 of berries in the cul ...

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 formerly accepted genus of approximately 70 species of shrubs or, rarely, small trees with evergreen leaves in the family Berberidaceae, native to eastern Asia, the Himalaya, North America, and Central America. They are closely ...

''. 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 ...

(''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 Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

-based

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

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

paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...

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 biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

Ecology

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

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

species, including the

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

s barberry carpet moth ('' Pareulype berberata''), and mottled pug ('' Eupithecia exiguata''). ''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 wh ...

, 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 fungal plant pathogens of the order Pucciniales (previously known as Uredinales) causing plant fungal diseases. An estimated 168 rust genera and approximately 7,000 species, more than half of which belong to the genus ''Puccinia'', are ...

responsible, the 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 (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

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

Appalachia Appalachia ( ) is a geographic region located in the Appalachian Mountains#Regions, central and southern sections of the Appalachian Mountains in the east of North America. In the north, its boundaries stretch from the western Catskill Mountai ...

and the

Midwest United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

, 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 U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

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 favoured 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 kind of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and which retains those traits when propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue cult ...

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 ...

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

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

Uses

Culinary

''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, berries and vegetables. It is also a generic prescription medication and in some countries is sold as a non-prescription di ...

, 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 (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, 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 comprises the culinary traditions of Iran. Due to the historically common usage of the term "Name of Iran, Persia" to refer to Iran in the Western world,Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. ...

in rice dishes such as ''zereshk polo'' (a dish of rice cooked in the Persian style with saffron and barberries, often served with chicken) and ''morassa polo'' (literal translation "bejewelled rice", an opulent dish of rice with barberries and slivers of pistachio, almond, and orange peel) and as a flavouring for poultry. Because of their sour flavour, they are sometimes cooked with sugar before being added to Persian rice. Iranian markets sell dried zereshk. By virtue of their limited availability, specialised growing conditions, and the complexity of the harvesting process, they are considered expensive and so are served in the finest of Persian dishes. In Russia and Eastern Europe, it is sometimes used in jams as a source of

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

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

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

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

Patagonia Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...

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

Traditional medicine

The dried fruit of ''

'' is used in

herbal medicine Herbal medicine (also called herbalism, phytomedicine or phytotherapy) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. Scientific evidence for the effectiveness of many herbal treatments ...

. The chemical constituents include isoquinolone

alkaloid Alkaloids are a broad class of natural product, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids. Alkaloids are produced by a large varie ...

s, especially

berberine Berberine is a Quaternary ammonium cation, quaternary ammonium salt from the protoberberine group of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids, occurring naturally as a secondary metabolite in some plants including species of ''Berberis'', from which its name ...

. 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 compli ...

s is high, including untoward interactions with

prescription drug A prescription drug (also prescription medication, prescription medicine or prescription-only medication) is a pharmaceutical drug that is permitted to be dispensed only to those with a medical prescription. In contrast, over-the-counter drugs c ...

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 ''Berberis aggregata'', the clustered barberry, is a shrub native to western China (Gansu, Hubei, Qinghai, Shanxi, Sichuan). It grows at elevations of 1000–3500 m. ''Berberis aggregata'' is a shrub up to 3 m tall with spines along the younger ...

'' fruit File:BerberisAculeata.jpg, '' B. 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 Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

File:Berberis gagnepainii thorn.jpg, '' B. gagnepainii'' with thorn-leaves File:Berberis gagnepainii flowers.jpg, '' B. gagnepainii'', flowers, wide File:Berberis gagnepainii fruit.jpg, '' B. gagnepainii'', fruit File:Berberis-thunbergii.JPG, '' B. thunbergii'' shrub File:Berberis valdiviana 120502-2.jpg, '' B. valdiviana'', flowers from

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

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

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

File:Berberis prattii1.jpg, '' B. 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