Berberis chinensis
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −23.3 °C
Cultivation
Prefers a warm moist loamy soil and light shade but is by no means fastidious, succeeding in thin, dry and shallow soils. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Plants are hardy to about -25°c. Plants can be pruned back quite severely, they resprout well from the base. This species is closely related to B. poiretii. C.K.Schn., differing in its broader leaves and dark red fruits. The range of this plant is often mistakenly given as the Caucasus, this is based on a misidentification. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus.
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, when it should germinate in late winter or early spring. When the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame. If growth is sufficient, it can be possible to plant them out into their permanent positions in the autumn, but generally it is best to leave them in the cold frame for the winter and plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth, preferably with a heel, October/November in a frame.
Edible uses
Fruit - raw or cooked.
Medicinal uses
Berberine, universally present in rhizomes of Berberis species, has marked antibacterial effects. Since it is not appreciably absorbed by the body, it is used orally in the treatment of various enteric infections, especially bacterial dysentery.
Material uses
A yellow dye is obtained from the root.
Habitat
Sandy mountain slopes and river sands.
Native range
E. Asia - China.