Berberis glaucocarpa Stapf

Berberis species deciduous or evergreen shrubs, spiny or glabrous. Stems angular, terete or sulcate, spines are 3 or 5 fid. Leaves simple, but usually with a joint at the junction of lamina and petiole, in whorls or fascicles, attached to node and protected by spines, long shoots metamorphosed into spines, axils of short shoots bear cluster of green leaves, alternate, lanceolate, ovate, margin entire, dentate, chartaceous, coriaceous, usually petiolate. Inflorescences solitary or fascicled flowers, axillary, cymes. Flowers bisexual, sepals 6, rarely 6-12, imbricate in 2 to 4 series, bracts 2-3, appressed, caducous, petals 6, in 2 series, free, imbricate, normally with 2 basal glands towards inner side. Stamens 3-6, anther-locules opening by recurved valves, ovary simple, club shaped, ovules 1-12, subbasal, erect, style short or sessile, stigma, Fruits few seeded berry, blood red or black, ellipsoid to globose or ovoid, seeds about 2-10, reddish brown or black.

Berberis species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects. Flowering/Fruiting: April-June/July-September.

Seeds may be dispersed by barochory i.e., gravitational dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals.

Spiny evergreen shrub, about 3.5 m tall. Stem terete or subangled, pale yellow, glabrous, internodes short, about 4 cm long, spines 1-2 fid, rarely 3 fid, about 0.5-1 cm long. Leaves 2-4 on each node, obovate, oblanceolate-elliptic, 3-7.5 x 0.8-2.5 cm across, base cuneate, margin entire on the base half, with small spinules 6-10 on apex half, apex obtuse with spinule tip, chartaceous, coriaceous, thick, green, shining, glabrous or lustrous above and beneath, lateral veins 3-5 on either side of the midrib, veinlets reticulate, petiole short or subsessile. Inflorescence racemose, 15-25 flowered, about 2-4 cm long. Flowers bisexual, yellow, about 10-15 mm across, pedicels slender, glabrous, about 0.8-1 cm long, prophylls about 1 mm long, sepals in 3 series, outer series smallest and inner series largest, outer series 3, ovate-lanceolate, apex obtuse, about 2 mm across, median series slightly longer, inner series longer, and broader, apex obtuse, about 6 x 5 mm long, petals 6, obovate, base clawed with glands, retuse, about 7 x 5 mm across. Stamens about 5.5 mm long, connectives apiculate, ovary simple, ovules 4, style stipitate, about 1 mm long. Fruits are several seeded berries, ellipsoid-oblong, glabrous, shining, black when ripe, pruinose.

Berberis species are susceptible to insect pests, powdery mildews, rusts and viral diseases.

In open shrub forests, altitude of about 2400-3000 m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Fruits are edible.