NEW OR NOTEWORTHY PLANTS IN THE SOCIETY'S GARDEN, 353 
NEW OR NOTEWORTHY PLANTS IN THE SOCIETY'S 
GARDEN.— I. 
1. Berberis rubrostilla. 
Berberis rubrostilla which belongs to a section of the genus which has long 
been represented in our gardens for B. sibirica from the Altai Mountains 
of Siberia was introduced by Pallas in 1790 (figured in Bot. Reg. 
t. 487), and B. concinna was figured in the Bot. Mag. t. 4,744 in 1853 
from plants raised from seeds collected in the Lachen valley of the Sikkim 
Himalaya. The latter has a rather doubtful reputation for hardiness 
in some districts, but other species of more recent introduction appear 
to be quite hardy and are well worthy of cultivation. The section 
includes B. angulosa from Nepal and Sikkim (often grown as " B. 
sp. Thibet "), B. macrosepala also from Sikkim, B. kumaonensis from 
the Kali valley of Kumaon, B. dictyophylla from Yunnan, B. diaphana 
from Szechwan, and B. minutiflora and B. yunnanensis from Yunnan. 
B. rubrostilla, however, surpasses them all in the beauty of its large 
and striking fruits, which are almost sealing-wax red in colour, gradually 
deepening from a somewhat transparent white in September, and 
hanging at least until Christmas. Their curious shape and graceful 
poise are easily seen from the illustration (fig. 65), in which also the 
form and arrangement of the leaves and spines are well brought out ; 
but the illustration fails to show the contrast between the green of its 
narrow leaves, the bright red of its berries, and the purple and grey 
of its twigs and branches. It is a shrub with erect and arching 
branches, at present about 3 feet in height. It received a F.C.C. 
when shown at Vincent Square in November 1916. 
Some doubt attaches to its origin, but it is hoped to clear this 
up by raising seedlings ; it was grown from seed sown at Wisley at 
the end of 1912, and was the only plant of its kind raised. It has 
proved to be perfectly hardy, and has grown well under the same 
conditions as suit most other Berberises. 
A technical description of the plant follows : 
Berberis rubrostilla (affinis B, concinnae) . 
Frutex 1-1*5 metralis ; ramuli juniores rubrofusci, leviter nitens, deinde 
purpureo-cinerei, glabri, angulati, vetustiores cinerascentes ; internodia 
I '3*-i '7 cm. longa ; spinae tripartitae, graciles, patentes, rigidae, 16- 
V8 cm. longae, fulvae, subtus sulcatae ; folia decidua, ad 10 fasciculata, 
sub-coriacea, oblanceolata vel angustato-ovata, apice rotundata ple- 
rumque mucronata, basi sensim in petiolum brevissimum vel ad 5 mm. 
longum attenuata, margine integra vel utrinque spinoso-dentata, spinu- 
lis paucis ad 2 mm. longis, petiolo excluso 1 x 0-5-2 x 0 6 cm. magna, 
supra viridia paullo nitentes, subtus eximie glauca, leviter papillosa ; 
nervis reticulatis subtus post anthesin elevatis ; infiorescentiae race- 
mosae vel paniculatae ad 2 cm. longae (pedunculo nudo ad 0 5 cm. longo 
VOL. XLII. 2 A 
