familyBerberidaceae
genusBerberis
speciesBerberis repens

Berberis repens

Lindley

Bot. Reg., plate 1176. 1828.

Alan T. Whittemore
EndemicIllustrated
Synonyms: Berberis aquifolium var. repens (Lindley) Scoggan Berberis sonnei (Abrams) McMinn Mahonia repens (Lindley) G. Don Mahonia sonnei Abrams
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 3.
Please click on the illustration for a higher resolution version.
Illustrator: John Myers

Copyright: Flora of North America Association

Shrubs, evergreen, 0.02-0.2 (-0.6) m. Stems monomorphic, usually without short axillary shoots. Bark of 2d-year stems grayish or purplish brown, glabrous. Bud-scales 3-8 mm, deciduous. Spines absent. Leaves (3-) 5-7-foliolate; petioles (1-) 3-9 cm. Leaflet blades thin and flexible; surfaces abaxially dull, papillose, adaxially dull, rarely glossy, somewhat glaucous; terminal leaflet stalked, blade 3.2-9.5 × 2.3-6 cm, 1.2-2.2 (-2.5) times as long as wide; lateral leaflets ovate or elliptic, 1 (-3) -veined from base, base rounded to obtuse or truncate, margins plane, toothed, with 6-24 teeth 0.5-3 mm tipped with spines to 0.6-2.8 × 0.1-0.25 mm, apex rounded, rarely obtuse or even broadly acute. Inflorescences racemose, dense, 25-50-flowered, 3-10 cm; bracteoles membranous, apex rounded to obtuse or broadly acute. Anther-filaments with distal pair of recurved lateral teeth. Berries blue, glaucous, oblong-ovoid, 6-10 mm, juicy, solid. 2n = 28.


Phenology: Flowering spring (Apr–Jun).
Habitat: Open forest, shrubland, and grassland
Elevation: 200-3000 m

Distribution

V3 600-distribution-map.gif

Alta., B.C., Ariz., Calif., Colo., Idaho, Minn., Mont., Nebr., Nev., N.Mex., N.Dak., Oreg., S.Dak., Tex., Utah, Wash., Wyo.

Discussion

Berberis sonnei was described based on plants with relatively narrow, rather shiny leaflets collected by Sonne in Truckee, California. Subsequent collections from this population show the morphology typical of B. repens; Sonne's collections evidently are an aberrant form of this species.

Berberis repens is resistant to infection by Puccinia graminis.

Various Native American tribes used preparations of the roots of Berberis repens to treat stomach troubles, to prevent bloody dysentary, and as a blood purifier; mixed with whiskey, it was used for bladder problems, venereal diseases, general aches, and kidney problems; and preparations made from the entire plant served as a cure-all and as a lotion for scorpion bites (D. E. Moermann 1986).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"thin" is not a number.

... more about "Berberis repens"
RDF feed
2n chromosome quantity
28 +
Anther dehiscence
dehiscing +
Apex shape
rounded;obtuse or broadly acute +
Aril presence
absent +
Articulation shape
swollen +
Author
Alan T. Whittemore +
Authority
Lindley +
Axillary shoot height or length or size
short +
Bark coloration
purplish brown +  and grayish +
Bark pubescence
glabrous +
Base shape
rounded;obtuse or truncate +
Basionyms
Mahonia +
Berry architecture
solid +
Berry coloration
blue +
Berry pubescence
glaucous +
Berry shape
oblong-ovoid +
Berry some measurement
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Berry texture
juicy +
Blade l w ratio
1.2-2.2(-2.5) +
Blade length
3.2 cm32 mm <br />0.032 m <br /> (9.5 cm95 mm <br />0.095 m <br />) +
Blade shape
obovate +, oblanceolate +  and elliptic +
Blade some measurement
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (7.5 cm75 mm <br />0.075 m <br />) +
Blade width
2.3 cm23 mm <br />0.023 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
Bracteole architecture
sepaloid +
Bracteole duration
caducous +
Bracteole quantity
3 +
Bracteole shape
scale-like +
Bracteole texture
membranous +
Bud-scale distance
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
Bud-scale duration
deciduous +
Distribution
Alta. +, B.C. +, Ariz. +, Calif. +, Colo. +, Idaho +, Minn. +, Mont. +, Nebr. +, Nev. +, N.Mex. +, N.Dak. +, Oreg. +, S.Dak. +, Tex. +, Utah +, Wash. +  and Wyo. +
Elevation
200-3000 m +
Embryo size
small +  and large +
Endosperm quantity
abundant +
Flower architecture
3-merous +
Flower architecture or arrangement or growth form
solitary +
Flower architecture or shape
symmetric +
Flower prominence
showy +  and inconspicuous +
Flower reproduction
bisexual +
Flower some measurement
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (?) +
Foliage leaf architecture
compound +  and simple +
Fruits berry condition or texture
dry +
Fruits berry shape
spheric +  and cylindric-ovoid or ellipsoid +
Fruits berry texture
juicy +
Habitat
Open forest, shrubland, and grassland +
Illustration
Present +
Illustration copyright
Flora of North America Association +
Illustrator
John Myers +
Inflorescence architecture
25-50-flowered +
Inflorescence arrangement
racemose +
Inflorescence density
dense +
Inflorescence position
axillary +  and terminal +
Inflorescence position or structure subtype
terminal +
Inflorescence some measurement
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
Lateral leaflet architecture
1(-3)-veined +
Lateral leaflet shape
Elliptic (?) +  and Ovate (?) +
Lateral tooth orientation
recurved +
Leaf architecture
(3-)5-7-foliolate +
Leaf architecture or arrangement
fascicled +
Leaf architecture or shape
pinnate +
Leaf arrangement
alternate +
Leaf size
reduced +
Leaflet architecture
3-6-veined +
Leaflet blade fragility
pliable +
Leaflet blade shape
Lanceolate (Orbiculate) +
Margin architecture
tipped +
Margin shape
toothed;plane +
Nectary presence
absent +
Number of lower taxa
0 +
Ovary architecture
1-carpellate +
Ovary placentation
subbasal +
Ovary position
basal +  and superior +
Ovary shape
club--shaped +
Perianth architecture
3-merous +  and 2-merous +
Perianth presence
absent +
Petal architecture
hooded +
Petal coloration
yellow +
Petal function
nectariferous +
Petal fusion
distinct +
Petal quantity
6 +
Petal shape
plane +
Petiole atypical some measurement
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
Petiole presence
absent +
Petiole some measurement
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br />) +
Phenology
Flowering spring (Apr–Jun). +
Pollen exine coloration or relief
punctate +
Primary-stem shape
elongate +
Publication title
Bot. Reg., plate +
Publication year
1828 +
Reference
None +
Rhizome height or length or size
short +
Rhizome length or size
long +
Rhizome presence
absent +
Rhizome shape
not nodose +
Seed architecture
arillate +
Seed coloration
tan +  and redbrown or black +
Seed life cycle
mature +
Seed prominence
elevated +
Seed quantity
1 +  and 10 +
Sepal coloration
yellow +
Sepal fusion
distinct +
Sepal life cycle
falling +
Sepal quantity
6 +
Shoot shape
elongate +
Slit dehiscence or orientation
longitudinal +
Source xml
https://bibilujan@bitbucket.org/aafc-mbb/fna-fine-grained-xml.git/src/84153f6d59a0a91d69695978a64cee7560374f8e/V3/V3 600.xml +
Special status
Endemic +  and Illustrated +
Spine length
0.6mm;2.8mm +
Spine presence
absent +
Spine width
0.01 cm0.1 mm <br />1.0e-4 m <br /> (0.025 cm0.25 mm <br />2.5e-4 m <br />) +
Spur shoot height or length or size
short +
Spur shoot shape
elongate +
Stalk length
elongating +
Stamen quantity
6 +
Stem architecture
monomorphic +
Stem growth form
dimorphic +
Stem pubescence
tomentose +
Stem shape
with elongate primary-stems and short axillary spur shoots +  and elongate +
Stipitate-gland presence
absent +
Stipule architecture
palmate +  and pinnate +
Stipule presence
absent +
Style duration
persistent +
Style position
central +
Style presence
absent +
Surface pubescence
glaucous +
Surface reflectance
glossy +  and dull +
Surface relief
papillose +
Synonyms
Berberis aquifolium var. repens +, Berberis sonnei +, Mahonia repens +  and Mahonia sonnei +
Taxon family
Berberidaceae +
Taxon name
Berberis repens +
Taxon parent
Berberis +
Taxon rank
species +
Terminal leaflet architecture
stalked +
Tooth quantity
6 (24) +
Tooth some measurement
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
Umbel architecture or arrangement or growth form
solitary +
Volume
Volume 3 +
Whole-organism architecture or shape
not spurred +
Whole organism architecture
rhizomatous +
Whole organism atypical some measurement
20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br /> (60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br />) +
Whole organism duration
evergreen +
Whole organism growth form
shrub +
Whole organism pubescence
glabrous +  and with tomentose stems +
Whole organism some measurement
0.02m (0.2m) +
X chromosome quantity
14 +