BERBERIDACE.E 



67 



BEEBEEIDACE^ 



Berber is vulgaris (Berberry) is the only British 

 species of this family, and 

 even this is a doubtful native. 

 It is a glabrous pale -green 

 shrub, with yellow, acid wood, 

 6 or 8 feet high, with long 

 branches arching over at the 

 ends. The leaves are alter- 

 nate or in clusters, obovate, 

 and sharply toothed. The 

 primary leaves are changed 

 into seven, five, or three 



thorns, and the axillary bud Fig. 38.— shoot of Berberry {BerleHs 



vulgaris), showing three spines, sp, 

 representing the leaf. Nat. size. 

 .1, stem ; Z, L, leaves on a lateral 

 shoot arising in the axil of the spini- 

 form leaf, and themselves reduced 

 to short subulate spines ; L', L', 

 more perfect leaves on the same 

 lateral shoot. 



develops leaves, which is the 

 reason for their being in clus- 



ters. The flowers are yellow, 



in graceful drooping racemes, 



with a peculiar smell. The 



parts are in alternating whorls 



of three, including 6 sepals, 6 petals, each with two 



orange nectaries at the base, 

 and 6 stamens. The system 

 of fertilisation was well de- 

 scribed by Sprengel. The 

 stamens lie close to the petals 

 and almost at right angles 

 to the pistil, as shown in 

 Fig. 39. The honey -glands 

 (n n) are twelve in number, 

 situated in pairs at the base 

 of the petals, so that the 

 honey occupies the angle 



Pig, 39.— -BerJem vulgaris. Flower between the baseS of the 



S^rMucreni:;g""^^' stamens and of the pistil. 



The papillary edge of the 

 summit of the pistil (Fig. 40, e) is the stigma. In open 



