Barberry (European Barberry, Common Barberry)
Berberis vulgaris
Family: Berberidaceae
Branching deciduous shrub. Native to Europe. Barberry is
widely planted by humans and by birds, as a hedge plant and windbreak.
The yellow flowers give way to its most distinctive feature: the clusters
of bright red, oblong fruits. The root bark contains a substantial
amount of berberine, the same yellow antibacterial alkaloid which is found
in Goldenseal. The tea of the root bark is a traditional blood-cleansing
remedy, and has been used as a wash for checking infection in wounds, healing
ulcerations and for treating the pustules caused by empitigo. Excessive
quantities of the tea or the powder of the root bark will cause drastic
purging. Cultivation: Sow in outdoor
nursery bed or in flats in fall, winter or very early spring, for germination
as soil warms up. Requires at least three months of cold, moist conditioning
before germination. Seeds sown too late in the spring will germinate
the following spring. Grow seedlings out in nursery bed or in pots
for a year before transplanting to the landscape. Space 15 feet apart.
Grows about 9 feet tall.
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