THE BARBERRY 



THE BARBERRY 



359 



sometimes found on English tables from Eng- 

 lish gardens; the Magellan barberry, B. buxi* 

 folia, Lam., is an evergreen shrub from the 

 Straits of Magellan, yielding large, black, well- 

 flavored fruits in South America and England; 

 at one time it was sold by nurserymen in the 

 United States under the name Black Sweet 

 Magellan; Darwin's barberry, B. Darwinii, 

 Hook., from Chile, is grown as an ornamental 

 in England, where the berries are said to be 

 eagerly eaten by children; most grown of all, 

 however, is B. vulgaris, Linn., the common 

 barberry, which must be described and dis- 

 cussed at greater length. 



Berberis vulgaris, Linn. Fig. 325. Common Bar- 

 berry. A spiny, upright shrub attaining a height of 

 12-14 feet, with gray, grooved, arching branches. 

 Leaves obovate or spatulate, bristle-toothed, 1-2 inches 

 long, grayish-green beneath. Flowers many, in drooping 

 racemes. Fruit oblong-ovoid, scarlet or becoming pur- 

 ple, acid but agreeably flavored and suitable for culinary 

 preparations. The species is exceedingly variable, and 

 there are many botanical and horticultural varieties, 

 most interesting of which to pomologists are seedless 

 sorts, one with yellow fruits and another with black or 

 purplish-blue fruits. 



325. Common barberry. 



The common barberry is a native of temper- 

 ate Europe and Asia, but, early introduced in 

 America, it is now thoroughly wild in many and 

 scattered localities in North America. The 

 plant is now considered a dangerous pest as a 

 host of one stage of wheat-rust, and the laws 

 of several states compel its destruction whether 

 found as a wild or a cultivated plant. 



The barberry has been cultivated as an 

 ornamental and hedge plant for centuries, 

 possibly since Christ's time, as Pliny in the 

 first century describes a plant thought to be 

 this. Yet it has ever been but a supplemen- 

 tary fruit, never attaining great popularity; 



never giving origin to varieties grown exclu- 

 sively for fruit; and long under suspicion as 

 a dangerous harborer of wheat-rust. It is 

 certain, also, that the barberry is declining in 

 favor; it has been much more popular in 

 England or America at any past time in the 

 last three centuries than it is now. It is, how- 

 ever, a species well worthy attention for its 

 fruits. No doubt strains of it or hybrids with 

 other species could be selected immune to 

 wheat-rust and with larger and less acid fruits; 

 if so, the hardiness, vigor, and productiveness 

 of the plants, and the handsome, refreshing 

 fruits commend it to add variety to any fruit- 

 garden. An enumeration of the uses to which 

 the fruits of various species of barberries are 

 put in different countries may further its 

 claims to attention on the part of fruit-growers. 



Barberries are most commonly used for 

 sauces, tarts, and pies, but are often preserved 

 in sugar or sirup as comfits; a celebrated pre- 

 serve is made in Rouen, France, from a seed- 

 less variety. In India the fruit is so commonly 

 cured as a raisin that barberry raisins are an 

 article of commerce and export. In northern 

 Europe, barberries are a substitute for lemon- 

 juice for making cooling drinks and flavoring 

 ices, sherberts, and punches. Pickled in vinegar 

 while green, the berries are an excellent sub- 

 stitute for capers. Besides these uses, the old 

 herbalists mention them as most useful in 

 garnishing, the bunches being used either fresh 

 or preserved. The leaves have much of the 

 acid of the berry, and were formerly, and still 

 might be, used for salads and for seasoning. 

 The old writers had much to say of the re- 

 markable medicinal value of barberries in 

 several ills of mankind, but of these virtues 

 none would pass with modern physicians; 

 unless, perhaps, the claim in many countries 

 that the berries are a sovereign remedy for in- 

 flamed throats and tonsils should be admitted, 



The barberry is worth improving. A col- 

 lection should be made of the species having 

 most merits for their fruits. Presumably, 

 many hybrids could be made, as a number of 

 ornamental forms originated from hybrids. 

 From species and hybrids, there is little ques- 

 tion that valuable fruits might in time be se- 

 lected to serve new purposes, to supplement 

 the present fruit-supply, and to serve in regions 

 where less hardy and vigorous fruits do not 

 thrive. Few genera remain to be domesticated 

 which have greater potentialities than Ber-r 

 beris. 



The genus Mahonia, usually included in 

 Berberis, from which it is distinguished by its 

 unarmed branches, pinnate leaves, and more 

 numerous sepals, offers some possibilities as 

 fruit-producing plants. The fruits of M . Aqui- 

 folium, Nutt., the Oregon grape; M. nervosa, 

 Nutt., also called the Oregon grape; M. pin- 

 nata, Fedde, the blue barberry of the Pacific 

 coast; M. Fremontii, Fedde and M. trifoliata, 

 Fedde, from southwestern United States are 

 native mahonias with some food value, and 

 all furnish berries from which refreshing drinks 

 and flavoring juices, and wines as well, are 

 made from the product of wild plants. 



