BERBERIDACEAE. 75 



Family BERBERIDACEAE. Barberry Family. 

 A small family some shrubs- of which are much used in 

 landscape work. The common barberry is often viewed with 

 disfavor because, if infected with the cluster-cup fungus 

 (Aecidium), it spreads black rust (Puccinia) to wheat. 



BERBERIS. Barberry. 



Deciduous or in other species evergreen shrubs with hard 

 yellow wood with minute diffused ducts slightly larger in spring, 

 and fine medullary rays ; slender angular monopodial branches 

 with roundish homogeneous pith ; alternate 5-ranked ovoid buds 

 with several scales ; crescent-shaped raised leaf-scars typically 

 with 3 bundle-traces; rather small apparently simple (uni- 

 foliolately compound) leaves often clustered on spurs or re- 

 placed by i- to 3-pronged spines on shoots; small perfect poly- 

 petalous yellow flowers clustered in the axils or racemed ; and 

 small ellipsoid or oblong usually i-seeded berries. 



1. Leaves entire: flowers or fruits usually solitary on 



a stalk. (Japanese barberry). B. Thunbergii. 



Leaves distinctly toothed. 2. 



2. Leaves green. 3. 

 Leaves purple. 4. 

 Leaves variegated. 5. 



3. Fruit red or purplish. (Common barberry). B. vulgaris. 

 Fruit yellow. B. vulgaris lutea. 

 Fruit white. B. vulgaris alba. 



4. Leaves of ordinary size (2X4 cm.). B. vulgaris atropurpurea. 

 Leaves distinctly larger. B. vulgaris macrophylla. 



5. Leaves white-marked. B. vulgaris albo-variegata. 

 Leaves yellow-bordered. B. vulgaris aureo-marginata. 



MAHONIA. 



Evergreen shrubs with rather hard wood with minute ducts 

 in flame-like pattern, and unequal coarse wedge-shaped medul- 

 lary rays ; rounded continuous pith ; alternate somewhat raised 

 U-shaped leaf-scars with some 15 bundle-traces ; no stipule- 

 scars ; ovoid terminal buds with numerous rather persistent hard 

 pointed scales ; odd-pinnate leaves with veiny pungent toothed 



