Berberis wilcoxii

Shrubs , evergreen, 0.3-2 m. Stems ± monomorphic, seldom with short axillary shoots. Bark of 2d-year stems purple or brown, glabrous. Bud scales 2-6 mm, deciduous. Spines absent. Leaves 5-9-foliolate; petioles 1-5 cm. Leaflet blades thick and rigid; surfaces abaxially dull, papillose, adaxially glossy, green; terminal leaflet stalked, blade 2.6-6.6 × 1.7-4.4 cm, 1-2.5 times as long as wide; lateral leaflet blades oblong to ovate or elliptic, 1-3-veined from base, base obtuse to rounded or truncate, margins plane to crispate, toothed, each with 3-5 teeth 1-5 mm tipped with spines to 1.2-3.8 × 0.2-0.6 mm, apex acute to rounded. Inflorescences racemose, dense, 30-50-flowered, 2-7 cm; bracteoles membranous, apex rounded or obtuse. Flowers: anther filaments with distal pair of recurved lateral teeth. Berries blue, glaucous, oblong-ovoid, 6-11 mm, juicy, solid.

Flowering spring (Apr-May). Slopes and canyons; 1500-2500 m; Ariz., N.Mex.; Mexico (Sonora).

Berberis wilcoxii has not been tested for resistance to infection by Puccinia graminis .

Plant: Shrubs to 2 m tall, glabrous; bark reddish-brown Leaves: odd-pinnate, 12-16 cm long; leaflets 5-7, oblong-ovate to ovate-lanceolate, acuminate and spine-tipped or truncate at apex, cuneate to rounded or subcordate at base, 2.5-5.5 cm long, 2-3 cm wide; lateral leaflets sessile, unequal at base; terminal leaflet on a stalk 12-16 mm long; upper surface green and shining; lower surface pale but hardly glaucous; veins prominent on both surfaces; teeth of leaflet margin 5-11 pairs, spreading, spiny INFLORESCENCE: densely clustered racemes, 20-50-flowered, 2-5 cm long; pseudopedicels slender, glaucous, 4-12 mm long, dilated at summits; bract ovate, obtuse or acutish, membranaceous, persistent, 2-3 mm long; bracteoles absent Flowers: sepals 9; outer sepals ovate, acute, 2.5-4.0 mm long; middle sepals ovate, 3.0-4.5 mm long; inner sepals and petals ovate to obovate, 5.0-6.5 mm long; stamens 3-4 mm long; filaments with two lateral teeth near apex; stigma sessile, persistent Fruit: FRUITS berries, ovoid to subglobose, blue, glaucous, 1 cm long; SEEDS purplish-black, fusiform to clavate, 5-7 mm long Misc: Rocky canyons; 1700-2450 m (5500-8000 ft); Apr-May REFERENCES: Laferrière, Joseph E. 2001. Berberidaceae. J. Ariz. - Nev. Acad. Sci. Volume 26(1).

FNA 1997

Common Name: Wilcox's barberry Duration: Perennial Nativity: Native Lifeform: Shrub General: Evergreen shrubs to 2 m, with young bark that is smooth, purple to brown in color. Leaves: Leaflets 1-3 veined from base, widely toothed with 3-5 spine-tipped teeth and crispate margins, apex acute to rounded. Flowers: Racemose inflorescence, flowers yellowish-white to cream, with clusters of 30-50 flowers, anther filaments have a pair of recurved lateral teeth distally. Fruits: Berries smooth, blue, and oblong to ovoid, 6-11 mm, juicy and firm. Ecology: Found in canyons and on slopes, from 5,000-8,000 ft (1524-2438 m); flowers April-May. Notes: The key to this species is the blue berries and the 3-5 teeth per leaf. Ethnobotany: Specific use of species unknown, but uses for the genus include the berries pounded into flour and used to make mush. Etymology: Berberis is the Latinized form of the Arabic name for the fruit, wilcoxii refers to plant collector Earnest Norton Wilcox (1869-1961). Synonyms: Odostemon wilcoxii Editor: LCrumbacher, 2011