f?jr [ 49 ]
B E R B E R I S vulgaris.
Common Barberry.
H E X A N D R I A Monogynia.
Gen. Char. Calyx lix-leaved. Petals fix, with two
glands at their bate. 1Style none. Berry with two
feeds.
Spec. Char, Flowers in clutters. Spines threeforked.
Serratures of the leaves terminated by
foft brittles.
Syn. Berberis vulgaris. Linn. Sp. P I. 4 7 1 . H ud/.
F I. A n. 137» With. Bot. A r r . 366. Relb. Cant.
1 3 4 * •
B. dumetorum. R a il Syn. 465.
C o m m o n in hedges, flowering in June, and bearing
ks bright red pendulous berries in autumn. It is generally
planted in thrubberies for ornament as well as ufe, the fruit
being frequently introduced into pickles and preferves, on account
of its ftrong and grateful acidity, of which the leaves
alfo partake with a mixture of aftringency.
_ Two circumftances in the hiftory of this thrub deferve particular
attention. In the firft place, its ftamina exhibit perhaps
the moll remarkable inftance of irritability hitherto difcovered
in vegetables; becaufe we perceive at once the purpofe it is
intended to anfwer. The bafes of the filaments are fo fenfi-
ble to the touch of any extraneous body, that they immediately
contract, with precipitation, and throw the pollen on the
fligma ; and this contraction is capable of being repeated feve-
ral times. See Mr. Whately’s remark in the Bot. Arr. and
Dr. Smith’s paper in the Philofophical Tranfa&ions for 1788,
p. 158. '
The other circumftance to which we allude is, its reputed
hoftility to corn, the ears of which, in its neighbourhood, are
faid always to prove abortive. This, if true, is one of the
moll wonderful properties that any plant ever pofiefied, and
is totally unaccountable. We have it on fuch good authority,
that w’e could not avoid mentioning the report; but on the
other hand we have as good reafons for withholding our aflent.
JVI onf. Brouffonet, the celebrated French naturalift, who has
bent his attention particularly to agriculture, allures us this report,
equally prevalent in France and in England, is, from his
own obfervation, totally void of foundation. It is to be wilhed
fome fcientjfic obferver could trace out what occafioned the
opinion,