Berberis rubrostilla
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −23.3 °C
Cultivation
Prefers a warm moist loamy soil but it is by no means fastidious, succeeding in thin, dry and shallow soils. This is probably not a true species but a hybrid involving B. wilsonae and perhaps B. aggregata. There are a number of named varieties selected for their ornamental value, many of these have quite large fruits which are freely borne. The cultivar 'Crawleyensis' has fruits up to 1.5cm long. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. Plants can be pruned back quite severely, they resprout 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. A hybrid species, it will not breed true from seed. 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. Fairly large for a barberry, it is pear shaped with an acid flavour[K]. It can be eaten raw in small quantities, though most people would probably prefer to cook it in pies, preserves etc[K]. The fruits are about 15mm long.
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
Not known in the wild.
Native range
A hybrid of garden origin, B. aggregata x B. wilsoniae?