Key to Berberis

View taxon page for Berberis

(For a list of species in Berberis, use the above link.)

Jepson Manual glossary definitions can be seen by moving your cursor over words underlined with dots.

1. Leaves 

simple 

Composed of a single part; undivided; unbranched.

2. Leaves evergreen, with 6–8 coarse, generally terminal spines; petals orange ..... B. darwinii

2' Leaves deciduous, with >> 8, small, marginal spines; petals yellow ..... B. vulgaris

1' Leaves compound

3. Bud scales persistent among upper leaves, 15–45 mm, thick, 

lanceolate 

Narrowly elongate, widest in the basal half, often tapered to an acute tip.

; leaflets ± palmately veined ..... B. nervosa

3' Bud scales generally deciduous, < 5 mm, thin, 

ovate 

Egg-shaped (i.e., widest below the middle) in two dimensions (i.e., in one plane), as a leaf.

to 

deltate 

More or less equilaterally triangular, with the corners rounded or not.

; leaflets generally pinnately veined

4. Inflorescence open, flowers generally < 10; 

petiole 

Leaf stalk, connecting leaf blade to stem; sometimes more or less indistinct.

generally < 2 cm; terminal leaflets generally lanceolate, 

oblong 

Longer than wide, with nearly parallel sides; wider than linear.

, or narrowly 

elliptic 

In the shape of a flattened circle or ellipse; wider than linear

– SW, D

5. Leaflets generally 3, terminal 

sessile 

Without a petiole, peduncle, pedicel, or other kind of stalk.

..... B. harrisoniana

5' Leaflets 3–9, terminal stalked

6. Leaflets flat to ± wavy, not folded along midrib, 

serrate 

Having margins with sharp, fine to coarse teeth generally pointing tipward, not outward; margins with such teeth on such primary teeth are doubly serrate.

, spines generally > 8 per side, ± 1 mm ..... B. nevinii

6' Leaflets wavy, generally folded along midrib, ± lobed, spines generally 3–8 per side, 1–4 mm

7. Terminal 

leaflet 

A leaf-like unit of a compound leaf; distinguished from a leaf by the absence in its axil of a bud, branch, thorn, or flower; lacking lateral, basal appendages (stipules); either simple (leaf 1-compound, with primary leaflets) or compound (leaf 2-compound, with primary and secondary leaflets; 3-compound, with primary, secondary, and tertiary leaflets, etc).

generally < 2 × width; berries yellow-red when fresh, ± glaucous, not inflated ..... B. higginsiae

7' Terminal leaflet generally > 2 × width; berries blue-black when fresh, heavily glaucous, not inflated or inflated only due to insect parasitism

8. Terminal leaflet generally lance-ovate, length generally < 3 × width; flowers 8–12; fruit yellow- to purple-red ..... B. fremontii

8' Terminal leaflet generally narrow-lanceolate, length generally > 3 × width; flowers 3–5; fruit red-brown to dark purple ..... B. haematocarpa

4' Inflorescence dense, flowers > 10; petiole generally > 2 cm (0–3 cm in Berberis pinnata); terminal leaflets generally ovate to wide-elliptic

9. Leaflet margin strongly wavy, thick, generally hard, spines 6–10(12) per side, 2–5 mm ..... B. aquifolium var. dictyota

9' Leaflet margin wavy to flat, ± thin, not hard, spines generally > 10 per side (to 0 in Berberis pinnata), 1–2 mm

10. Petioles generally > 3 cm; leaflets generally 5–9

11. Stems 

ascending 

Curving or angling upward from base, or about 30-60 degrees less than vertical or away from axis of attachment.

to 

erect 

Upright; vertically oriented.

, generally 1–2 m; leaflets generally shiny adaxially ..... B. aquifolium var. aquifolium

11' Stems 

spreading 

Oriented more or less perpendicularly to the axis of attachment; often, more or less horizontal.

to erect, generally < 0.8 m; leaflets generally dull adaxially ..... B. aquifolium var. repens

10' Petioles generally 1–3 cm; leaflets generally 7–11 ..... B. pinnata

12. Leaflet margins generally flat, spines generally < 1 mm; upper stems reclining to weakly erect; plant 2–4 m ..... subsp. insularis

12' Leaflet margins generally wavy, spines generally > 1 mm; upper stems generally erect; plant generally < 2 m ..... subsp. pinnata

Please use this Google Form for Contact/Feedback

Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) . Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/ [accessed on ]

Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on .

We encourage links to these pages, but the content may not be downloaded for reposting, repackaging, redistributing, or sale in any form, without written permission from The Jepson Herbarium.