48 BerberidecB. \Berberis. 



VI.— BERBERIDEyE. 



Shrubs ; 1. simple or transformed into 3-fid spines ; fl. 

 regular, bisexual ; sep. 6, in 2 rows, imbricate ; pet. 6, distinct, 

 in 2 rows, imbricate ; stam. 6, distinct, opp. pet. ; anth. adnate, 

 opening by 2 upwardly recurved lids ; carp, i, ovules few, 

 basal, erect ; ripe carp, fleshy, indehiscent ; seeds with copious 

 endosperm, and embryo with flat cotyledons in its axis. 

 We have but a single species of this chiefly temperate Order. 



BERBERZS, L. 



For characters, see the Order. — Sp. about 50; 12 in Fl. 

 B. Ind. 



B. aristata, DC. Syst. ii. 8 (1821). 

 Thw. Enum. 13. C. P. 2405. 



Fl. B. Ind. i. no. Wight, 111. t. 8 {B. tinctorid). Bentl. and Trim. 

 Med. PI. t. 16. 



An erect, much-branched shrub, 6-10 ft. high, bark pale, 

 smooth, twigs elongated, glabrous ; 1. in fascicles of 3-6, i.e., 

 on very short branches from the axils of strong 3-branched 

 spines (modified leaves) which are ^-f in. long and very 

 sharp, lanceolate or obovate- lanceolate, tapering to base, 

 strongly mucronate, entire or with a few spinous teeth, thick, 

 with prominent veins, petioles very short ; fl. in drooping, 

 corymbose racemes or panicles from the leaf-fascicles and 

 somewhat longer than them, pedicels \ in., glabrous, bracts 

 small, 3, just beneath calyx and looking like outer sep., 

 glabrous ; sep. oval, obtuse, spreading, concave, petaloid, the 

 inner row twice as large as the outer ; pet. rather longer, 

 obtuse, erect, concave, equal, tapering to base, where are 

 2 small nectarial glands ; stam. slightly connate to base of 

 pet. ; ov. smooth, style short, thick, stigma peltate ; fruit 

 fusiform or obovoid, nearly \ in. long, tipped by the persistent 

 style, smooth, soft, 2-secded ; seeds ovoid, somewhat com- 

 pressed, smooth. 



Upper montane region ; very common in bushy open places. Fl. 

 May, June, and most other months ; bright yellow. Fruit purple, with a 

 white 'bloom ' easily rubbed off. 



Also througliout the Himalayas from 6000 to 10,000 ft. and in the 

 Nilgiris ; the only one of the numerous Himalayan species (besides 

 B. nepalensis) which extends into the peninsula. Taken throughout its 



