This thicket-forming evergreen shrub is native to Chile and boasts small holly-like leaves, profuse orange blossoms, dark blue berries, and ample thorns.
Darwin is usually credited with “discovering” this species, however, it was known and used by Indigenous populations long before he collected it.
Michay is a serious environmental weed in New Zealand and is on the watch list in California.
The Mapuche of South America use michay medicinally for ailments, such as stomach pain and fever.(1)
You can find masses of michay in the Chilean Entry Garden with flowers set to open any day now.
Joanna Long
Berberis darwini
2) Berberis calliantha Black-berried Barberry
Evergreen leaves, a dense mass-forming habit, and delicate yellow blossoms distinguish this shrub.
This species is native to the Tsangpo Gorge of Tibet, the deepest canyon in the world.
Berberis calliantha was given this name by former Washington Park Arboretum Director, Brian O. Mulligan in 1935. He stated that, “…the inch-wide blossoms are the largest which have come to my notice in the genus.”
You can find Berberis calliantha in the China Entry Garden.
Joanna Long
Berberis calliantha
3) Berberis gagnepainii Gagnepain’s Barberry
This evergreen Berberis has elegant, elongated leaves (lanceolate), and light yellow flowers.
Barberries contain the alkaloid berberine which is being studied for uses ranging from infertility to Alzheimer’s treatments.
This species from Guizhou, Hubei, Sichuan, and Yunnan Provinces in China, is on display in the China Entry Garden.
Joanna Long
Berberis gagnepainii
4) Berberis candidula Pale-leaf Barberry
As the common name suggests, this barberry’s evergreen leaves are creamy underneath, and the plant has bright yellow blooms in spring.
There are over 500 species of Berberis world-wide, with concentrations of species in eastern and southeastern Asia and in the Andes Mountains of South America.
A patch of pale-leaf barberry can be admired in the China Entry Garden.
Calafate is a mounding evergreen shrub with small ruby-tinged leaves and golden flowers. The ‘Nana’ cultivar is slow-growing to about two feet.
The plant is seen as a symbol of Patagonia and the fruits are used to make jams, tarts, or eaten raw.
A grouping of Berberis buxifolia ‘Nana’ can be seen on the Chilean hillside.
Joanna Long
Berberis buxifolia
References: (1) Fajardo Morales, V., Araya, M., Manosalva, L. (2021). Berberis darwinii Hook. In: Máthé, Á., Bandoni, A. (eds) Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of South America Vol. 2. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World, Vol 7. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62818-5_8
