BER'BERIS VULGA'RIS. 
COMMON BARBERRY. 
Order. 
MONOG YNIA. 
Natural Order. 
BERBERIDE^;. 
Native of 
Heig-ht. 
Flowers in 
Duration. 
Inhabits 
Eng’land. 
9 feet. 
April, May. 
Perennial. 
Bush. places. 
No. 383. 
The name of this deciduous shrub is of Arabic 
origin, and signifies wild. Vulgaris, from the Latin, 
common. 
The Barberry forms a spiny bush or tree, that is 
most attractive when decorated with its beautiful 
coral-like fruit, which is well-known in confections 
and condiments. 
As a wild shrub, in fences, it would doubtless, be 
far more abundant, but for the injurious influence it 
has on crops of grain, particularly on wheat, growing 
near it. This fact was long combated as chimerical 
and delusive, but the observations of honest witnesses 
ultimately established it beyond doubt. A blight 
was known to spread from the Barberry bush, as 
though the pure breeze that swept its leaves became 
contaminated, and wafted destruction before it. 
It was left for the science of botany to explain the 
cause. The leaves of the Barberry are now known 
to be infested by a minute fungus, which is analogous 
to one found on wheat, that forms a species of the 
disease called red-gum. This fungus being dis- 
persed from the shrub, is propagated amongst the 
corn, and unproductiveness is the consequence. 
Class. 
HKXANDaiA. 
