Herberts.] flora indica. 219 



cious character: these glands originate in the thickened bases of the nerves of the 



petals, and in the bud almost surrounding the bases of the filaments. 



The varieties of B. vulgaris show many forms, and every colour of fruit, — black, 

 white, violet, and red, — as indeed was long ago pointed out by De Candolle ; the size 



and number of seeds and colour of the testa also vary much, as does the length of 



the style and breadth of the stigma, though to a less extent. 



Amongst the peculiarities of Berberis the leaf is the most remarkable. It was 

 originally explained by Linnaeus (Proleps. Plant. Amoen. Acad. v. p. 330) that the 

 spines originate in reduced leaves, and represent three nerves. At first the spines 

 are simple, and have a small tooth on each side (or two in some alpine forms) to- 

 wards the base, which teeth elongate and produce the triple spine. In a seedling 

 Berberis the petiole of the leaf will always be found to be long, slender, articulate at 

 the base, and there furnished with two minute stipules, and bearing one articulate 

 leaflet; the latter is often contracted above the joint into a partial petiole. As the 

 plant grows older the petiole shortens, and finally becomes obliterated, but in all 

 cases the leaf will be found to be articulate with the stem. The minute stipules at 

 the base of the slender petiole of most species is replaced by an expanded auricled 

 sheath in the pinnate-leaved species. 



The uses of the species of Berberis are few and unimportant ; the yellow wood 

 can be used as a dye, and the fruit of some is acid and eatable ; B. Lycium is consi- 

 dered by Royle to be the Lycium of Dioscorides, and its extract is found useful in 

 J ndia in inflammation of the eyes, under the name of Rasot. 



Sect. 1. Mahonia. — Folia imparipinnata. 



1. B. Nepalensis (Spr. Syst. ii. 120) ; foliis pinnatis, petiolo arti- 

 culato basi dilatato vaginante utrinque stipula subulata, foliolis 2-12- 

 jugis spinuloso-dentatis, floribus in racemos erectos siniplices v. basi 

 divisos dispositis. — Wall. Cat. 1480 ! B. Miccia, Ham. mss. ex Don, 

 Prod. 205. B. acanthifolia, Wall.! mss. Don, Syst. Gard. i. 118. B. 

 Leschenaultii, Wall. Cat. 1479!; Wight et Am. Prod. i. 16; Wight, 

 Icones, t. 940, Spirit. Neilgh. i. 7. t. 8. B. pinnata, Roxb. mss. Ma- 

 honia Nepalensis, DC. Syst. Veg. ii. 21, Prod. i. 109; Deless. Ic. Sel. 



11. t. 4. 



CM 



Hab. In sylvis Himalaya exterioris temperate, alt. 6-8000 ped.: 

 a Bhotan ! usque ad Garb wall vulgatiss. ; in montibus Khasia, 4-5000 

 ped. ! ; in montibus Nilghiri et Travancor, alt. 5-8000 ped. !— (Fl. Oct. 

 -Mart.) (v. v.) 



Distrib. Japan? 



Frutex 3-6-pedalis (arbor parva in montibus peninsula?, fide Wight). ( ulu 

 ereetus, superne parce ramosus, ramis strictis erectis apice Miosis. Folia patentin 

 6 unc. ad 1 1 -pedal ia ; foliola 1-6 unc. longa, ovata, lanceolata, v. rotundata, recta 

 v. fnleata, interdum basi cordata, infcriora minora et rotundata, valdc coriacea, 

 nervis basi flabeilatim dispositis; petiolus strictus, rigidus, ad inscrtionem foliolorum 

 articulatus, basi in vagi nam semiamplexicaulem v. amplexicaulem dilatatus; vagina 

 utrinque stipula subulata aucta ; vaginae superiores lamina et petiolo orbaT in brac- 

 teas sen squamas gemmarum transeunt. Bractea 1-2 unc. longa?, apice dentaUe, 

 interiores lineares membranaceae. Racemi plurimi, erecti, multiflori, 1 unc. ad pe- 

 dales, glauci v. rubicundi, interdum subglanduloso-puberuli. Bracteol* coriacepe, 

 l>ersistentes, oblonga? v. late ovatse, in pedunculum decurrentes, obtusse v. acuminata;. 

 Pedicel Ti erecti v. ascendent es, bracteis rcquilongi v. longiores, \ unc. longi. Floret 

 flavi, \-\ unc. longi. Sepala exteriora parva. Petala oblonga, bifida, nervo cen- 

 trali apice furcato (in exemplaribus Sikkimensibus). Bacca oblonga v. glubosa, vio- 

 lacea, glauca, carnosa, acerba, \-^ unc. longa, in exempl. Nipalens. eUiptica, in eiempl. 



