Berberis darwinii
{{Short description|Species of shrub}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Berberis darwinii shoot.jpg
|image_caption = Foliage and flowers
|genus = Berberis
|species = darwinii
|authority = Hook.
|synonyms ={{Specieslist
|Berberis costulata|Gand.
|Berberis darwinii var. magellanica|Ahrendt
|Berberis knightii|(Lindl.) K.Koch
|Mahonia knightii|Lindl.
}}
|synonyms_ref = {{cite web|url=http://www.tropicos.org/Name/3500220?tab=synonyms|title=Tropicos - Name - Berberis darwinii Hook.|publisher=}}{{cite web|url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2673673|title=Berberis darwinii Hook. — The Plant List|publisher=}}
|}}
Berberis darwinii, Darwin's barberry, is a species of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae,Chilebosque: Berberis darwinii [http://www.chilebosque.cl/shrb/bdarw.html] Retrieved Aug. 2008 native to southern Chile and Argentina and naturalized elsewhere. Regional vernacular names include michay, calafate, and quelung.{{citation |url=http://www.florachilena.cl/especiesporfiltro.php?idtag=8&idopcion=857 |title=Berberis darwinii at Flora Chilena|language=es}} Growing to {{convert|3-4 |m|ft|abbr=on}} tall, it is an evergreen thorny shrub.
Description
Berberis darwinii has dense branches from ground level. The leaves are small oval, {{convert|12|-|25|mm|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|5|-|12|mm|abbr=on}} broad, with a spiny margin; they are borne in clusters of 2–5 together, subtended by a three-branched spine 2–4 mm long. The flowers are orange, 4–5 mm long, produced in dense racemes 2–7 cm long in spring. The fruit is a small purple-black berry 4–7 mm diameter, ripening in summer.
Berberis darwinii was first described in 1835 by Charles Darwin during the voyage of the Beagle. It was one of many named in honour of Darwin.New York Academy of Sciences, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Published by The Academy, 1909 The berries of this species are known to have been consumed by prehistoric native peoplesC.Michael Hogan (2008) Cueva del Milodon, The Megalithic Portal, ed. A. Burnham [http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=18820] in the Patagonian region over millennia.
It is a popular garden and hedging shrub in the British Isles. The Royal Horticultural Society has given the species its Award of Garden Merit.{{cite web|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/2105/Berberis-darwinii/Details|title=Berberis darwinii|publisher=Royal Horticultural Society|accessdate=2020-04-17}} The edible fruit is very acidic.
Berberis darwinii - Flickr - Dick Culbert.jpg|Fruit
Berberis darwinii - leaves - 02.JPG|Leaves
Michay Parque Nacional Puyehue 04.jpg|Close-up of flowers
Invasive species
Berberis darwinii is regarded as an invasive plant pest in New Zealand[http://www.gw.govt.nz/section899.cfm Darwin's barberry] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014230114/http://www.gw.govt.nz/section899.cfm |date=October 14, 2008 }}, Containment pest plants, Greater Wellington Regional Council website, retrieved 12 January 2009. that escaped from gardens into indigenous plant communities via its bird-dispersed seeds.[http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/threats-and-impacts/weeds/common-weeds-in-new-zealand/darwins-barberry/ Darwin’s barberry] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214144718/http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/threats-and-impacts/weeds/common-weeds-in-new-zealand/darwins-barberry/ |date=2012-02-14 }}, DOC's weed work, Department of Conservation website, retrieved 4 January 2011. It is considered a serious threat to indigenous ecosystems throughout New Zealand[http://researcharchive.vuw.ac.nz/handle/10063/149 Seedling Recruitment of the Invasive Species Berberis Darwinii (Darwin's Barberry): What Contributes to Invasion Success?], McAlpine, Katherine (Kate) Grace, 2005, Victoria University of Wellington doctoral thesis, retrieved 12 January 2009. and is listed on the National Pest Plant Accord. In Australia, the species is naturalised in the states of South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania.{{cite web |url=http://www.anbg.gov.au/cgi-bin/apni?TAXON_NAME=Berberis+darwinii|title=Berberis darwinii |accessdate=20 March 2012 |work= Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database|publisher = Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra}} The species has also become sparingly naturalized in the US states of California and Oregon.{{cite web|url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500226|title=Berberis darwinii in Flora of North America |volume=3 |publisher=efloras.org}} It is often planted and sometimes naturalized in Ireland.Parnell, J. and Curtis, T. 2012.Webb's An Irish Flora. Cork University Press. {{ISBN|978-185918-4783}}
See also
{{Commons category|Berberis darwinii}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q426965}}
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