Tas. 6646, 
BERBERIS THUNBERGII. 
Native of Japan. 
Nat. Ord. BersertpEx.—Tribe BERBEREZ. 
Genus Berseris, Linn.; (Benth. et Hook. f. Gen, Pl. vol. i. p. 43.) 
Berseris Thunbergii ; frutex humilis, dumosus, glaberrimus, ramis breviusculis 
robustis strictis profunde sulcatis, spinis mediocribus simplicibus, foliis parvis 
obovatis v. spathulatis integerrimis apice rotundatis v. apiculatis, nervis 
obscuris, floribus solitariis v. 2-nis rarius breviter umbellatis, pedicellis gra- 
cillimis foliis seepissime brevioribus v. subaquantibus, sepalis 3-4 exterioribus 
equalibus ovatis acutis rubris petalis dimidio brevioribus, petalis pallide 
stramineis rubro tinctis 4 exterioribus elliptico- rotundatis, interioribus obovato- 
rotundatis, ovario ellipsoideo, stigmate sessili late orbiculari, baccis subglobosis 
stigmate sessili. 
B. Thunbergii, DC. Syst. Veg. vol. ii. p. 9; Prodr. vol. i. p. 106; Regel, Deser. 
Pl. Nov. Turkest. fasc. 1. (1873), p. 19; Gartenfl. 1872, p. 238. 
B. sinensis, Miquel, Prol. Fl. Jap. p. 1. 
B. chinensis, Franch. et Savat. Enum. Pl. Jap. vol. ii. p. 272. 
B. cretica, Thunb. Fl. Jap. p. 166. 
There is some confusion in respect of the nomenclature 
of the Japanese barberries. The plant here figured was 
first published by Thunberg in 1784 as being the same 
with the Linnean B. cretica, to which indeed it is so similar 
in habit that A. Gray, in his account of the Japan plants 
collected by Wright during Commodore Rogers’ U. 8S. 
Exploring Expedition (Trans. Amer. Acad. Sc. N. S8., 
vol. vi. p. 380), says of it:—‘* We have from Japan both 
the true B. vulgaris and B. Thunbergii, DC., the latter very 
near B. cretica, and hardly distinguishable from our own 
Alleghanian B. canadensis.” On the other hand, Miquel 
refers B. Thunbergii, DC., to B. sinensis, Desf., an entirely 
different species, with pendulous branches and long drooping 
racemes (figured in last year’s volume of this work, Plate 
6573). These two species have, however, been well dis- 
SEPTEMBER Ist, 1882. 
