Berberis parisepala

Ahrendt.

gbif· cc-by

The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London

gbif· cc-by

The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London

Summary

A deciduous shrub reaching 3 m tall, hardy to UK zone 6. Flowers appear in May. The plant is hermaphroditic and self-fertile, pollinated by insects. It tolerates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils, including nutritionally poor conditions. Adapts to mildly acid, neutral, and basic soils. Grows in semi-shade or full sun and handles both dry and moist soil.

Description

A shrub. It loses its leaves during the year. It grows 1.5 m tall. It has weak spines. The leaves are 2-3 cm long by 1 cm wide. The flowers occur singly. The fruit are red berries. They are oval and 10-11 mm long by 7-8 mm wide.

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit Edible Uses: The following report is for the closely related B. angulosa - it quite possibly can also be applied to this species. Fruit - raw or cooked. The relatively large berries are freely borne and are more palatable than most barberries. The fruit is about 15mm long and 8mm wide.

Medicinal Uses

Antibacterial Cancer Dysentery Berberine, universally present in rhizomes of Berberis species, has marked antibacterial effects. Since it is not appreciably absorbed by the body, it is used orally in the treatment of various enteric infections, especially bacterial dysentery. It should not be used with Glycyrrhiza species (Liquorice) because this nullifies the effects of the berberine. Berberine has also shown antitumour activity.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It grows in alpine meadows between 3,600-3,900 m above sea level in Tibet.

Where It Grows

Asia, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Myanmar, Nepal, SE Asia, Tibet,

Cultivation

Prefers a warm moist loamy soil but it is by no means fastidious, succeeding in thin, dry and shallow soils. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Succeeds in full sun or light shade. Plants can be pruned back quite severely and will resprout well from the base. This species comes into leaf very early in the spring. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. This species is closely related to B. angulosa.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, when it should germinate in late winter or early spring. Seed from over-ripe fruit will take longer to germinate, whilst stored seed may require cold stratification and should be sown in a cold frame as early in the year as possible. The seedlings are subject to damping off, so should be kept well ventilated. When the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame. If growth is sufficient, it can be possible to plant them out into their permanent positions in the autumn, but generally it is best to leave them in the cold frame for the winter and plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth, preferably with a heel, October/November in a frame. Layering.