Comments
provided by eFloras
A very variable species of the arid hills of our area, especially in leaf texture and venation. Narrowness, texture and venation of leaves do not seem to be constant and reliable taxonomic characters.
Berberis waziristanica Ahrendt and
Berberis gambleana Ahrendt, are said to have narrower leaves than the
Berberis calliobotrys Aitch. ex Koehne (s.str.), but this does not hold good, as the variation is continuous, i e. breadth length ratio being 1:2-4 (-5); the same is the case with texture, flexibility and venation. These would hardly justify even an infra-specific status under this species. Ahrendt’s (l.c. 224) key separating these 2 species is also confused, and does not tally with the descriptions.
Leaves are said to be a cure for jaundice.
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- Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
Description
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Shrub, 1-2 m tall, glabrous; stems red-brown to pale-brown, sulcate; internodes usually 1-2 cm long; spines usually 3-fid, 1-2 cm long. Leaves very variable, oblanceolate to oblong-obovate, 10-35 mm long, (2-) 4-12 mm broad, sessile to subsessile (petiole sometimes up to 5 mm long), mostly entire, rarely 1-4-spinose-serrulate, green, rarely somewhat whitish beneath, epapillose, conspicuously to faintly veined, often reticulate, coriaceous to flexible, acute to subobtuse, usually minutely spine-tipped at apex. Racemes (2-)5-10-flowered, subfascicled or racemose-fascicled, 1-3 cm long, often somewhat reflexed in fruit, including 1-10 mm long peduncle. Flowers 6-8 mm across, yellow; pedicels 5-12 mm long, glabrous. Outer sepals c. 4 mm long, 2(-2.5) mm broad; inner sepals c. 6 mm long, 4(-4.5) mm broad. Petals 5.5 (-6) mm long, 3 mm broad, obovate. Stamens c. 4 mm long with truncate apices. Ovules 2. Berries globose-ovoid to somewhat obovoid, black, pruinose to subpruinose whitish, (5-)6-8(-9) mm long, 4-5(-6) mm broad, including 1-1.5 mm long, conspicuous style; seeds 2, 3-5 mm long, 2-2.5 mm broad.
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- Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
Distribution
provided by eFloras
Distribution: Afghanistan and Pakistan, rare in Kashmir.
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- Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA