Berberis vulgaris

Linnaeus

Sp. Pl. 1: 330. 1753.

Common names: Common barberry épine-vinette berbéris vulgaire
Introduced
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 3.

Shrubs, deciduous, 1-3 m. Stems dimorphic, with elongate primary and short axillary shoots. Bark of 2d-year stems gray, glabrous. Bud-scales 2-3 mm, deciduous. Spines present, simple or 3-fid. Leaves simple; petioles 0.2-0.8 cm. Leaf-blade obovate to oblanceolate or almost elliptic, 1-veined from base, 2-6 (-8) × 0.9-2.8 cm, thin and flexible, base short to long-attenuate, margins plane, finely serrate, each with (8-) 16-30 teeth 0-1 mm high tipped with spines or bristles to 0.6-1.4 × 0.1 mm, apex rounded or obtuse; surfaces abaxially dull, smooth, adaxially dull, ± glaucous. Inflorescences racemose, lax, 10-20-flowered, 2-6 cm; bracteoles membranous, apex acute. Flowers: anther-filaments without distal pair of recurved lateral teeth. Berries red or purple, ellipsoid, 10-11 mm, juicy, solid.


Phenology: Flowering spring (May–Jun).
Habitat: Roadsides, woods, old fields
Elevation: 0-1800 m

Distribution

V3 710-distribution-map.gif

Introduced; B.C., Man., N.B., N.S., Ont., P.E.I., Que., Colo., Conn., Del., Idaho, Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Mo., Mont., Nebr., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.Dak., Ohio, Pa., R.I., S.Dak., Vt., Va., Wash., W.Va., Wis., native, Europe

Discussion

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Berberis vulgaris was very commonly cultivated in North America for thorn hedges and as a source of jam and yellow dye. It frequently escaped from cultivation and became naturalized over a wide area of eastern North America. It is susceptible to infection by Puccinia graminis. As the most important alternate host of this fungus, it has been the subject of vigorous eradication programs, and it is now infrequent or absent in many areas where it was once frequent (A. P. Roelfs 1982).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Berberis vulgaris"
acute;obtuse;rounded +
Alan T. Whittemore +
Linnaeus +
long-attenuate +
0.9cm;2.8cm +
Mahonia +
purple +  and red +
ellipsoid +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br />) +
obovate +, oblanceolate +  and elliptic +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (7.5 cm75 mm <br />0.075 m <br />) +
scale-like +
0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br /> (0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (?) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
Common barberry +, épine-vinette +  and berbéris vulgaire +
B.C. +, Man. +, N.B. +, N.S. +, Ont. +, P.E.I. +, Que. +, Colo. +, Conn. +, Del. +, Idaho +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Iowa +, Kans. +, Maine +, Md. +, Mass. +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Mo. +, Mont. +, Nebr. +, N.H. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, N.Dak. +, Ohio +, Pa. +, R.I. +, S.Dak. +, Vt. +, Va. +, Wash. +, W.Va. +, Wis. +, native +  and Europe +
0-1800 m +
small +  and large +
showy +  and inconspicuous +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (?) +
compound +  and simple +
spheric +  and cylindric-ovoid or ellipsoid +
Roadsides, woods, old fields +
axillary +  and terminal +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br />) +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
obovate +  and oblanceolate +
reduced +
1-carpellate +
basal +  and superior +
club--shaped +
3-merous +  and 2-merous +
nectariferous +
distinct +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
Flowering spring (May–Jun). +
not nodose +
tan +  and redbrown or black +
1 +  and 10 +
distinct +
elongate +
W2 +  and Introduced +
elongating +
monomorphic +, unbranched +  and branched +
with elongate primary-stems and short axillary spur shoots +  and elongate +
palmate +  and pinnate +
persistent +
Odostemon +
Berberis vulgaris +
Berberis +
species +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
450 cm4,500 mm <br />4.5 m <br /> (800 cm8,000 mm <br />8 m <br />) +
glabrous +  and with tomentose stems +