Berberis rubrostilla
Chitt.
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Meise Botanic Garden
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TALL - Tallinn Botanic Garden; Tallinn Botanic Garden
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Meise Botanic Garden
Summary
A deciduous shrub growing to 1.5 m tall and wide, hardy to UK zone 6 and frost-hardy. Flowers appear from June to July. Hermaphroditic and self-fertile, pollinated by insects. Adapts to light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils, including poor soils. Tolerates mildly acid, neutral, and basic pH. Grows in semi-shade or full sun with dry or moist soil.
Description
A hybrid shrub. It loses its leaves. It has been produced by crossing Berberis aggregata and Berberis wilsoniae. It grows 1.5 m high and can spread 2.4 m across. The leaves are narrow and egg shaped. They are mid green above and grey underneath. They are 30 mm long and have 6 spines along each edge. The flowers are pale yellow and in groups of up to 4. The fruit are red and egg shaped. The fruit colour varies.
Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Fruit Edible Uses: Fruit - raw or cooked. Fairly large for a barberry, it is pear shaped with an acid flavour. It can be eaten raw in small quantities, though most people would probably prefer to cook it in pies, preserves etc. The fruits are about 15mm long.
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 suits hardiness zones 6-9.
Where It Grows
Coming Soon
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. This is probably not a true species but a hybrid involving B. wilsonae and perhaps B. aggregata. There are a number of named varieties selected for their ornamental value, many of these have quite large fruits which are freely borne. The cultivar 'Crawleyensis' has fruits up to 1.5cm long. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. Plants can be pruned back quite severely, they resprout well from the base.
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. A hybrid species, it will not breed true from seed. 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.
Other Uses
Dye A yellow dye is obtained from the root. Special Uses Food Forest
Notes
There are about 450-500 Berberis species.
Synonyms
References (2)
- Etherington, K., & Imwold, D., (Eds), 2001, Botanica's Trees & Shrubs. The illustrated A-Z of over 8500 trees and shrubs. Random House, Australia. p 125
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
