Berberis darwinii

Berberis darwinii
Foliage and flowers
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
Order:	Ranunculales
Family:	Berberidaceae
Genus:	Berberis
Species:	B. darwinii
Binomial name
Berberis darwinii Hook.
Synonyms[1][2]
Berberis costulata Gand. Berberis darwinii var. magellanica Ahrendt Berberis knightii (Lindl.) K.Koch Mahonia knightii Lindl.

Berberis darwinii is a species of barberry in the family Berberidaceae,^[3] native to southern Chile and Argentina and naturalized elsewhere. English common names include 'Darwin's Barberry'. Vernacular names include michay, calafate, and quelung.^[4]

It is an evergreen thorny shrub growing to 3–4 m tall, with dense branches from ground level. The leaves are small oval, 12–25 mm long and 5–12 mm 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.

B. darwinii was discovered (in Western science) in South America in 1835 by Charles Darwin during the voyage of the 'Beagle'; however, the berries of this species were consumed by prehistoric native peoples^[5] in the Patagonian region over millennia. The species was one of many named in honour of Darwin.^[6]

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.^[7] The edible fruit is very acidic.

B. darwinii is regarded as an invasive plant pest in New Zealand^[8] that escaped from gardens into indigenous plant communities via its bird-dispersed seeds.^[9] It is considered a serious threat to indigenous ecosystems throughout New Zealand^[10] 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.^[11] The species has also become sparingly naturalized in the US states of California and Oregon.^[12]

References

1. "Tropicos - Name - Berberis darwinii Hook.".
2. "Berberis darwinii Hook. — The Plant List".
3. Chilebosque: Berberis darwinii Retrieved Aug. 2008
4. Berberis darwinii at Flora Chilena (Spanish)
5. C.Michael Hogan (2008) Cueva del Milodon, The Megalithic Portal, ed. A. Burnham
6. New York Academy of Sciences, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Published by The Academy, 1909
7. "Berberis darwinii".
8. Darwin's barberry, Containment pest plants, Greater Wellington Regional Council website, retrieved 12 January 2009.
9. Darwin’s barberry, DOC's weed work, Department of Conservation website, retrieved 4 January 2011.
10. 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.
11. "Berberis darwinii". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
12. "Berberis darwinii in Flora of North America". efloras.org.