A. Leaves thin, deciduous. Flowers solitary. 1. B. SIBI RICA Pall. The Siberian Berberry. Identification. Pall. Fl. Ross., 2. p. 42.; Dec. Prod., 1. p. 108.; Don's Synonymes. B. altaica Pall.; Vinettier de Sibérie, Fr. Spec. Char., &c. Spines 3-7-parted. Leaves lanceolate- B. Leaves thin, mostly deciduous. Flowers in Racemes. Identification. Lin. Sp., 472.; Dec. Prod., 1. p. 105.; Don's Mill., 1. p. 115. Synonymes. Pipperidge Tree, Dr. Turner; E'pine vinette, Fr. ; gemeine Berberitze, Ger. Spec. Char. Spines 3-parted. 46 Leaves somewhat obovate, ciliately serrated. Racemes many-flowered, pendulous. Petals entire. (Don's Mill., i. p. 115.) Varieties. These are numerous. Those recognised by De Candolle and G. Don are as follows: B. v. 2 lùtea. The yellow-fruited common Berberry.— Fruit yellow. B. v. 5 purpùrea. The purple-fruited common Berberry. — Fruit purple, leaves narrow, hardly ciliated. B. innominata Kielm. B. v. 6 nigra. The black-fruited common Berberry. Fruit black; leaves oblong, ciliately serrated, serratures few. The fruit of this plant is said by Tournefort, who found it on the banks of the Euphrates, to be of delicious flavour. B. v. 7 dúlcis. The sweet-fruited common Berberry.- Fruit red, somewhat less acid than that of the common berberry. Leaves of a bright shining green. Native of Austria. B. v. 8 asperma. The seedless Berberry.- Fruit destitute of seeds. Miller, and also Du Hamel, both say that suckers taken from this variety commonly produce fruit with seeds; that, as the tree grows older, the seeds become fewer, and that it is the age of the plant that at last causes the fruit to be seedless; in that case this plant must be considered more a variation than a variety. B. v. aspérma is said by Du Hamel to produce the best fruit for preserving; and it is from it that the delicious Confitures d'E'pine vinette, for which Rouen is so celebrated, are made. (Nov. Duh., iv. p. 13.) Price, 2s. 6d. each. All these varieties are in the garden of the London Horticultural Society. Other Varieties. Dr. Lindley says, that "there is in the Catalogues a Canadian berberry, which appears to be nothing more than a common berberry, brought from North America; and also Bérberis daùrica and altaica, neither of which merits to be distinguished from B. vulgàris.” Description. In a wild state, the common berberry is seldom found higher than 4 ft. or 5 ft., but in a state of culture it may be grown to nearly 30 ft. high. The stems are upright, and much branched towards the top; smooth, slightly grooved, covered with a whitish or ash-coloured bark, which is yellow within, and they have a large white pith. The main stem soon becomes so surrounded by side suckers as to be concealed by them; so that, even where the height of the plant is that of a tree, its character is still that of a bush. The blossoms are, in general, abundant, and produce a fine appearance in April and May; their smell is offensive when near, but not disagreeable at a short distance. The tree will live for two or three centuries, without increasing much in size. The wood is hard and brittle, of a yellow colour, but little used except for dyeing. The rate of growth, when the plant is young, is rapid; and, in consequence, in five or six years it will attain the height of 7 ft. or 8 ft.; but it grows slowly afterwards, unless the suckers are removed from it as they are produced. It is seldom seen above 10 ft. high; but there are examples of trees of it 30 ft. high, probably of 30 years' growth. Geography and History. Found wild in most parts of Europe, and in many parts of Asia and America; in the warmer parts of those last countries, on mountains; in the colder parts of Europe in plains, as in Norway, near Christiania. The berberry is found on Mount Lebanon, and on Mount Etna; in which last situation it becomes a low shrub, in the last zone of vegetation, at the height of 7500 French feet above the level of the sea. In England it is found in indigenous woods and hedges, more especially on calcareous soils. It is so common in the hedges of Saffron Walden, in Essex, where corn grows frequently quite up to the hedge, that Professor Martyn refers to this circumstance, as a proof that the prejudice respecting its originating the mildew on wheat is unfounded. It is indigenous in Scotland and Ireland, but not very common in those countries. The plant is mentioned by Pliny; and, among moderns, seems first to have been recorded by Bauhin in his Pinax, and subsequently by all the writers on plants, under different names, till the time of Ray, who first called it Berberis; which name was afterwards adopted by Linnæus, and by all the botanists since his time. Properties and Uses. The inner bark both of the stems and roots affords a yellow dye. The leaves are agreeably acid, and, according to Gerard, were used in his time " to season meat with, and instead of a salad, like sorrel." The berries are so acid, that birds seldom touch them. They are not eaten raw, but are excellent when preserved with sugar in syrup, or candied. They are also made into jelly and rob, both of which are not only delicious to the taste, but extremely wholesome; and they are pickled in vinegar, when green, as a substitute for capers. In some countries in the north of Europe, the berries are used instead of lemon for flavouring punch,&c.; and when fermented it produces an acid wine, from which tartar is procured by evaporation. They are also in general use for garnishing dishes. Medicinally, the berries, leaves, and roots are powerfully acid and astringent; the bark is purgative and tonic; and the berries, when bruised and steeped in water, make a refreshing drink in fevers. The astringent principle is so abundant in the bark, that it is used for tanning leather in Poland; and it dyes it of a fine yellow at the same time. A decoction of the bark is said to make a good gargle to strengthen the throat and gums. The plant is cultivated in gardens as a fruit tree or fruit shrub; and the variety, or rather variation, in which the seeds are said to be wanting, and that in which the fruit is sweet, are recommended in preference. The plant makes an excellent hedge; but there exists a prejudice against it among agriculturists, from its supposed influence in producing blight, or mildew, on the corn adjoining it. This opinion, though totally unfounded, is of unknown antiquity. It appears to have been first considered as an erroneous prejudice by Du Hamel, who assures us that it is totally void of foundation; and Broussonet and other botanists subsequently proved the fact; but the most scientific refutation of the error was given by Dr. Greville, in his Scottish Cryptogamic Flora. In that excellent work Dr. Greville has shown that the mildew which attacks the berberry (Æcídium Berbéridis Pers., fig. 47.) is quite different from any of the Fúngi which are found on 47 corn. The berberry mildew, when magnified, is found to consist of a number of small orange cups, with a white film over each. When ripe these films burst, and the tops of the cups assume a ragged uneven appearance, in which state they look like white Fungi. The cups are filled with innumerable little cases, containing seeds, or sporules, and these constitute the bright orange powder that is seen on the leaves and flowers of the common berberry. "Among the many beautiful objects that are to be met with in the lower and more imperfect tribes of plants," Dr. Lindley observes, "it is difficult to find one more worthy of an attentive examination than the Ecídium Berbéridis." The blight on corn is generally a species of Urèdo, and does not correspond in botanical characters with the Ecídium. Propagation and Culture. The original species is propagated in the nurseries by seeds, and the varieties by suckers. For ordinary purposes, no plant requires less culture; but, to produce large fruit, it should be planted in a deep, well manured, somewhat calcareous soil, and be constantly freed from side suckers. The racemes of the blossoms, also, should be thinned out, in order by reducing the number of bunches of fruit, to increase its size. When the berberry is intended to become an ornamental tree, it should be trained with a straight stem to the height of 8 ft. or 10 ft., and then suffered to branch out, thinning out the shoots where necessary, and destroying every sucker as it appears. So treated, it forms a singularly beautiful small tree, of great duration. Diseases, &c. The common berberry is very subject to the mildew, Æcídium Berbéridis Pers., before described. Statistics. The berberry is to be found in all European gardens that pretend to have a complete collection of fruit trees, and in most shrubberies. The original species is to be procured in all nurseries, and the varieties in some of them. Seedlings of the species, in the London nurseries, are 8s. a thousand; and transplanted plants 25s. a thousand: at Bollwyller, the varieties are a franc each; plants of the species, 50 cents each: in New York, ?. 3. B. CANADENSIS Mill. The Canadian Berberry. Identification. Pursh's Fl. Amer., Sept., 1. p. 219.; Nutt. Gen. Amer., 1. 210.; Dec. Prod., 1. p. 106. ; Don's Mill., 1. p. 115. Synonymes. B. vulgàris Mr. Fl. Bor. Amer. 1. p. 205.; B. vulgàris var. canadensis Martyn's Mill., No. 1. Engravings. Hayne Abbild., t. 63.; and our fig. 48. after that author. Racemes Spec. Char., &c. Spines 3-parted. Leaves obovate-oblong, remotely serrated, upper ones nearly entire. many-flowered, nodding. (Don's Mill., i. p. 115.) A shrub, or low tree, with yellow flowers, from April to June. Cultivated in 1759. Height 5 ft. It is found in North America, on fertile hills and among rocks, especially in the Alleghany Mountains, from Canada to Carolina, and also in Tennessee. The berries are said by Pursh to be more fleshy and less acid than those of B. vulgàris. The same opinion prevails in the United States as in England, as to the berberry producing mildew on wheat. From the appearance of this alleged species in the garden of the London Horticultural Society, we are induced to consider it only a variety of B. vulgàris. De Candolle thinks it for the most part intermediate between B. vulgàris and B. chinensis. Plants, in London, are 1s. 6d. each; at Bollwyller, 1 franc; and in New York, 15 cents. 4. B. EMARGINA TA Willd. The emarginated-petaled Berberry. Identification. Willd. Enum., 1. p. 395.; Dec. Prod., 1. p. 105.; Don's Mill., 1. p. 115 Synonyme. Ausgerandete (serrated) Berberitze, Ger. Engravings. Hayne Abbild., t. 62.; and our fig. 49. Spec. Char., &c. Spines 3-parted. Leaves lanceolate-obovate, ciliately serrated, Racemes scarcely pendulous, shorter than the leaves; petals emarginate. (Don's Mill., i. p. 115.) A shrub closely resembling B. vulgàris, of which it is, doubtless, only a variety; but it is one half smaller in all its parts, and has the petals emarginate. It is found wild in Siberia, and was introduced into England in 1820. In the garden of the London Horticultural Society it has attained the height of 7 ft. in 10 years. Price, in the London nurseries, 2s. a plant; at Bollwyller, 2 francs; and in New York, ?. 5. B. IBERICA Stev. The Iberian Berberry. 50 Identification. Stev. and Fisch. in Litt.; Don's Mill., 1. p. 115.; and Lindl. in Pen. Cyc., 4. p. 261. Synonymes. B. vulgàris ? v. ibérica Dec. Syst., 2. p. 6.; B. sinensis Wal. Engravings. Dend. Brit., t. 26. ; and E. of Pl., 4928., as B. sinensis; and our fig. 50. Spec. Char., &c. Spines simple, and 3-parted; leaves obovateoblong, quite entire. Racemes many-flowered; petals entire. (Don's Mill., i. p. 115.) A shrub closely resembling the common berberry, but, according to Dr. Lindley, readily distinguished from it by its smaller leaves, and its almost upright racemes. The berries are dark purple. It is a native of Iberia, whence it was brought to England in 1790. Height 5 ft. 6. B. SINENSIS Desf. The Chinese Berberry. Identification. Desf. Catal. Hort. P., 150.; Dec. Prod., 1. p. 106. ; Don's Mill., 1. p. 115. Synonyme. B. vulgàris Thunb. Jap., 1. p. 146. Spec. Char., &c. Spines 3-parted. Leaves oblong, obtuse, entire, or the lower ones a little toothed. Racemes many-flowered, nodding. (Don's Mill.,i. p. 115.) A shrub closely resembling B. vulgàris, but seldom growing more than 4 ft. or 5 ft. high. The berries are oval, of a deep red colour (Dec.), or, according to Dr. Lindley, of a dirty red; 1-2-seeded. It is a native of China, where it was found during Lord Macartney's embassy, between Pekin and Gehol; and it was introduced into England in 1800. There are plants of it in the garden of the London Horticultural Society, and in the arboretum of Messrs. Loddiges. Dr. Lindley observes that it is more common in French than in English gardens, and that it most resembles B. ibérica. 7. B. CRE TICA L. The Cretan Berberry. Identification. Lin. Sp., 472.; Dec. Prod., 1. p. 106.; Don's Mill., 1. p. 115. Spec. Char., &c. Spines 3-5-parted. Leaves oval-oblong, entire, or some what serrated. Racemes 3-8-flowered, rather shorter than the leaves. (Don's Mill., i. p. 115.) A low shrub, seldom exceeding 3 ft. or 4 ft. in height, with numerous suckers, forming a compact bush, densely covered with leaves intermixed with spines. The leaves are produced without any obvious order, and in their shape they resemble those of the narrow-leaved variety of the common box. The berries are ovate, black, 2-seeded, more astringent than acid; stigma on a very short style. It is a native of Crete, or Candia, of Cyprus, and also of Japan; and it has been cultivated in England since 1759; but, being a plant of no great show, it is not very common in gardens or nurseries. There are plants of this species in the arboretum of Messrs. Loddidges, and also in the arboretum of Messrs. Buchanan and Oldroyd, at Camberwell. It is also in the garden of the Horticultural Society. Dr. Lindley observes of it, that "it is a dwarf scrubby bush, looking like a starved specimen of the common berberry." Price, in London, 1s. 6d. a plant; at Bolwyller, 1 franc 50 cents; in New York, ?. Variety. B. c. 2 serratifolia Poir. The serrated-leaved Cretan Berberry.-Leaves ciliately serrated. 8. B. CRATEGINA Dec. The Crataegus-like Berberry. Identification. Dec. Syst., 2. p. 9.; Don's Mill., 1. p. 116. Spec. Char., &c. Spines simple. Leaves oblong, reticulated, hardly serrated. Racemes many-flowered, crowded, spreading, scarcely longer than the leaves. (Don's Mill., i. p. 116.) Native of Asia Minor. "Allied to Bérberis crética and sinensis" (Dec.); said to be like B. vulgàris by G. Don. "Described by De Candolle from specimens collected in Asia Minor. Young plants, of what is said to be this species, are in the gardens, but they have not yet flowered." (Lindl.) Where we meet with many doubts, we are always disposed to simplify; and, from the geography of this species, we think it highly probable that it will turn out to be a mere variety of B. vulgàris. C. Leaves leathery, evergreen or sub-evergreen. Flowers solitary or in Clusters. 9. B. DU'LCIS. The sweet-fruited Berberry. Identification. Swt. Brit. Fl.-Gard.; Lindl. Pen. Cyc., 4. p. 261. Mr. Low by Mr. Anderson, the collector attached to Capt. King's expedition, from the Straits of Magellan. In Sweet's Flower-Garden, where it is figured, it is said that, in its native country," the fruit is used, both green and ripe, as we use gooseberries, for making pies and tarts, and preserves, for which it is most excellent. The berries are round and black, being about the size of a black currant, and are produced in great abundance. The flowers are very handsome, being of a bright yellow, and nodding: they make a very elegant appearance." (Swt. Fl-Gard., 2d s., i. t. 100.) It is quite hardy, and evergreen; but there is a deciduous variety, also possessed by Mr. Low, which, by some, is supposed to be a distinct species. 10. B. HETEROPHY'LLA Juss. The various-leaved Berberry. Identification. Juss. in Poir. Dict., 8. p. 622.; Dec. Prod., 1. p. 108.; Don's Mill., 1. p.117.; Lindl., Pen. Cyc., 4. p. 261. Synonymes. B. ilicifolia Forst.; B. triscupidata Smith. Engraving. Hook Exot. Fl., 1. t. 14. ; and our fig. 52. Spec. Char., &c. Spines 3-parted. Leaves ovate-lancolate, glabrous, some of them entire, others furnished with 3 pungent teeth. Pedicels solitary, 1-flowered, hardly longer than the leaves. Filaments toothed. (Don's Mill., i. p. 117.) This species Dr. Hooker describes as a shrub about 3 ft. in height, much branched, and the older branches covered with dark wrinkled |