Species
Berberis wilsonae
Etymology
Berberis: From the Arabic name berberys
Family
Berberidaceae
Flora Category
Vascular - Exotic
Structural Class
Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs
Habitat
Waste places near cultivation
Features
Deciduous shrub to about 2 m high. leaves are sessile and up to 3 x 1 cm, 3-partite spines held just below the leaves. The leaves can be green to red in exposed plants. pale yellow flowers are held in dense racemes of 10-20. Fruit starts translucent but ripens to deep red 5-9 mm diameter with grey bloom.
Similar Taxa
Similar in general appearance to B. thunbergii, but can be distinguished by the 3-partite spines. Also similar to B. vulgaris but lacks the obvious leaf veination and serrulate leaf margins.
Flowering
December, January, February
Flower Colours
Yellow
Fruiting
June, July, August
Year Naturalised
1983
Origin
S.W. China, upper Burma
Reproduction
Suckering and seed.
Seed
Prolific
Dispersal
Birds
This page last updated on 18 Jan 2010