G e n u .s L
B E 'I IB E R IS L. T u b E e r t ì e b r y . Lin. Syst. Hexândria Monogjnia.
Identification. L in . Gen.. 442.; Dec. P ro d ., 1. p. 106. ; D o n ’s Mill., 1. p. U 4.
Synonymes. Pipperidge Bush ; E 'p in e vinette, Fr. ; Berberitze, Ger.
Derivation. Berberys is the Ar.ibic word used for this plan t by Averrhoes and otlie r writers bn
medicine ; b u t some persons derive th e name from th e Greek word berberi, signifying a shell from
th e leaves ol th e common species having a hollow surface. Bochart says th a t th e word Bérberis is
derived from th e Phomician word barar, which signifies shining like a shell, from th e ir shinin»
leaves. Gerard says th a t th e word Berbery is a corruption o f amyi'beris, the name given to th e
pmnt by Avicenna. Du Hamel says th a t Bérberis is derived from an Indian word signifying m other
o f pearl. Pjpperidge ^ s h , or piprage tree , Gerard saj's, is D r. T u rn e r’s name for th e plant, and
It IS still given to It in Cambridgeshire. E 'p in e vinette signifies the acid, or sorrel, th o rn from
th e taste o f the fru it and leaves. ’
Gen. Char. Sepals 6 , guarded on the outside by .3 scales. Petals 6 , with 2
glands on the inside of each. Stamens toothless. Berries 2—3-seeded.
Seeds 2, rarely 3, laterally inserted at the base of the berries, erect, oblong,
with a crnstaceons coat and fleshy albuivien. Cotyledons leafy, elliptical.
Radicle long, capitellate at the tip. (Doris M ill.) B. heterophylla Juss. has
toothed stamens.
i r a n c i simple, alternate, exstipulate, deciduous or evergreen; toothed
o r serrated, coriaceous, with numerous small leaves produced a t the axils
o f the larger ones, often abortive in the form o f prickles. Flowers yellow.
Fruit red, in some kinds black, purple o r white in others.— Shrubs natives
o f Europe, North America, and Asia ; characterised in a general view by
being crowded with suckers, and having axillary tufts o f leaves and spines.
The species are all readily propagated by seeds which most of them ripen
in England ; and also by side suckers and root suckers, which almost all of
them throw up in abundance.
A. Leaves thin, deciduous. Flowers solitary,
jn \. B. s i b i 'r i c a Pall. The Siberian Berberry.
IdentifkaUon. Pall. F l. Ross., 2, p. 42. ; Dec. Prod., I. p. 108. ; Do n ’s Mill., 1 p . 117,; P e n .C y c ,
Synonymes. B. altàica Pal. ; V in ettier de Sibérie, Fr.
Engravings. Pail. F l. Ross., 2. t. 67. ; and our fig . 62. a fte r Hayne, and
g.63. afte r Pallas.
Spec. Char., 4c. Spines
3—7-parted. Leaves
lanceolate-obovate, ci-
liately serrated. P e duncles
1-flowered,
shorterthan theleaves.
(Don’s Miller.) An
erect deciduous shrul).
Siberia, on hills and
the lower mountains.
Height 2 ft. to 3 ft.
Introduced in 1790.
Flowers yellow; May
and June. Berry red ;
5 2 . Bérheris sibirica. ripe in September.
B. Leaves th'm^ mostli/ deciduous. Flowers in Racemes.
üÉ 2. B. vulga' ris L , The common Berberry.
Jientificatio'n. Lin. Sp., 472. ; Dec. P rod., 1. p. 105.; Don’s Mill., I. p. 115.
Synonymes. .B. setnénsis P i t í / ; B. macrocárpa of some ; P ipperidge T re e , D r. Twmer ; E 'pine
v inette, Fr. \ gemeine Berberitze, Ger.
F.-ngravings. Eng. Bot., t. 4 9 .; W'illd. Baum., t. 39. ; and o n vß g . 54., in which a is a specimen in
flower, h a specimen in fruit, c a flower of the n a tu ra l size, and rf a fru it of the n atura l size.
B/rherin vulgàris.
Spec. Char., 4 r . Spines 3-parted. Leaves somewhat
obovate, ciliately serrated. Racemes many-flowered,
pendulous. Petals entire. (Doris M ill.) A spreading,
many-stemmed, deciduous shrub. Europe, and
Britain in hedges and copses, and naturalised in many
parts of Asia and America. Height 6 ft. to I O ft.
Flowers yellow ; May and June. Berries red ; ripe
in .September. Decaying leaves reddish yellow.
Naked wood yellowish white.
Varieties
m B. V. 2 lùtea. — F ru it yellow, sometimes stone-
less.
fit B. ». 3 alba.—F ru it white.
* B. 11. 4 vio/a'cca.— F ru it violaceous
as li. V. 5 purpùrea. 7?. innorainàta An?»;. — F ruit
purple ; leaves narrow, hardly ciliated.
SÈ B." V. 6 nigra. - F ru it black ; leaves oblong, ciliately
serrated, serratures few. The fruit of
this plant is said by Toiirnefort, who found
it on the banks o f the Euphrates, to be o f ç
delicious flavour,
ü B. V. 7 dulcís.— F ru it red, somewhat less acid
than th a t o f the common berberry. Leaves of
a bright shining green. Native o f Austria,
where it was first considered to be a distinct species, tili the fruit
of plants raised from its seed was found to be as acid as that ot
the common berberry. I t is now, however, propagated by layers ;
the leaves and fruit are considerably larger than those of the species,
and the fruit is found perfectly sweet and agreeable to eat. In
short, this variety is to the common berberry, what the apple is to
the crab. . ,
Ü Y . V . 8 aspérma. The seedless Berberry.— F ru it destitnte of seeds.
Miller, and also D u Hamel, both say th a t suckers taken from this
variety commonly produce fruit with seeds ; that, as the tree grows
older,' the seeds become fewer, and th a t it is the age of the plant
tliat at last causes the fruit to be seedless ; in th a t case this plant
must be considered more a variation than a variety. B . v. aspérma
is said by Du Hamel to produce the best fruit for preserving; and
it is from it th a t the delicious Confitures d’E 'pine vinette, for which
Rouen is so celebrated, are made. (Nouv. Duh., iv. p. 13.)
SÈ B. ». 9 longifòlia Booth. — Leaves longer than those o f the s|iecies.
a B. ». \0 glauca. B . glauca Rootó. — Leaves glaucoiis._ Mr. Gordon
considers this plant as related to B . sibirica ; but, as it has not yet
flowered in the Horticultural Society’s Garden this point cannot be
determined. (S ee Gard. Mag., vol. xvi. p. 2 .)
a B. ». 11 mitis. — Shoots without spines. Leaves glaucous, rather
broader.
a B. ». 12 provinéàlis Schrad. — Young shoots brown. Leaves and fruit
as in the common berberry.
All these varieties are in the London L lorticultural Society’.s Garden.
Other Varieties. In the Horticultural Society’s Garden a number of
alleged species o f berberries have been raised from seed, which have all
proved varieties of B. vulgaris, and most o f them so slight, as to be scarcely
worth keeping distinct. (S ee Gard. Mag., vol. xvi. p. 2 .)
The common berberry will live for two or three centuries, without increasing
much in size. The wood is. hard and brittle, of a yellow colour, and but
little used except for dyeing. The rate o f growth, when the plant is yoting,
is rapid ; and, in consequence, in five or six years it will attain the height of
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