238 BERBERIS 



introduced by Wilson for Messrs Veitch. It appears distinct enough to 

 rank as a species, being different in habit from either B. Hookeri or 

 B Wallichiana. Its neat, dense habit and slow increase in size make it 

 very suitable for the rock garden. 



B. CONCINNA, Hooker fl. 



(Bot. Mag., t. 4744-) 



A low, deciduous bush, 3 ft. high, of close, compact habit ; branches 

 furrowed. Leaves lustrous green above, white beneath, obovate, i in. or 

 less long, tapering at the base to a short stalk, the midrib ending in a 

 spiny tooth. Three spines, each to f in. long, guard the base of each 

 tuft of leaves. Flowers solitary, on a slender stalk i to iv? ins. long, pendent, 

 globose, deep yellow, J in. across. Berries oblong, fleshy, red, | to f in. long. 



Native of the Sikkim- Himalaya at 12,000 to 13,000 ft. ; introduced to Kew 

 by Sir Joseph Hooker about 1850 A very pretty barberry, and distinct 

 through the vivid whiteness of the under-surface of the leaves. It is best 

 propagated by seeds, which it produces most seasons. 



B. CRETICA, Linnceus. CRETAN BARBERRY. 



(Sibthorp's Flora Graeca, t. 342.) 



A low, sometimes prostrate, deciduous shrub'; branches crooked, formidably 

 armed with three-forked spines, each fork ^ to | in. long. Leaves small, 

 obovate, pointed, averaging \ in. in length, mostly without teeth, sometimes 

 slightly toothed. Flowers yellow, in short, few-flowered clusters. Berries 

 globose, nearly black, with a bloom. 



Native of the mountains of Crete and other islands of the Mediterranean. 

 The leaves, spines, and flowers form a dense, crowded mass along the branches. 

 A shrub for the rock garden. 



B. DARWINII, Hooker. DARWIN'S BARBERRY. 



(Bot. Mag., t. 4590.) 



An evergreen shrub of dense habit, from 6 to 12 ft. high ; branchlets covered 

 with a dense, reddish brown down. Leaves very dark, glossy green, stalkless, 

 hard in texture, obovate, f to i^ ins. long, the apex three-spined, and with one 

 to several spiny teeth down each side ; they spring in tufts from the axils 

 of short, multiple spines. Flowers on drooping racemes i| to 2 ins. long, 

 each flower on a slender stalk longer than itself, deep golden or orange- 

 coloured, tinged with red ; petals elliptical, notched at the tip. Fruit plum- 

 coloured, roundish oval, the size of small peas. 



Native of Chile ; first discovered by Charles Darwin in 1835, when attached 

 as naturalist to the Beagle on her famous voyage. It was introduced in 1849 

 by William Lobb for Messrs Veitch, from the island of Chiloe. One of the 

 finest of all evergreen shrubs, this is also tolerably hardy. It likes a good 

 loamy soil and should be given a position sheltered from cutting winds. It 

 is in its greatest beauty, of course, during April and May, when laden with 

 its profusion of golden blossom, but it is often very attractive also in early 

 autumn, bearing a large crop of the bluish berries and occasionally a small 

 crop of flowers. Should be propagated by seeds. B. Darwinii nana is a 

 seedling of B. stenophylla (q.v.\ 



