Berberis chitria
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
Cultivation
Prefers a warm moist loamy soil and light shade but it is by no means fastidious, succeeding in thin, dry and shallow soils. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. There is much confusion in the naming of this species, it is frequently confused with B. aristata and it lacks a valid name. Plants can be pruned back quite severely and resprouts well from the base.
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. The roasted seeds are pickled.
Medicinal uses
The juice of the bark is used to treat peptic ulcers. 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 roots and stems.
Habitat
1800 - 2700 metres in the Himalayas.
Native range
E. Asia - Himalayas.