Berberis lycium
| Berberis lycium | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 10' |
| Speed: | Moderate |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Berberis lycium
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, when it should germinate in late winter or early spring[1]. Seed from over-ripe fruit will take longer to germinate[1], whilst stored seed may require cold stratification and should be sown in a cold frame as early in the year as possible[2]. The seedlings are subject to damping off, so should be kept well ventilated[3]. 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[1].
Cultivation: Prefers a warm moist loamy soil and light shade but it is by no means fastidious, succeeding in thin, dry and shallow soils[4][5]. Grows well in heavy clay soils.
A fairly hardy plant but it suffers some damage in severe winters[6].
Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[6].
Plants can be pruned back quite severely, they resprout well from the base[5].
Range: E. Asia - Himalayas
Habitat: Shrubberies and open hillsides[7][8], usually on hot dry slopes[9], to 3000 metres. in Kashmir[10].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked and made into preserves[11][4][12][13][14]. Fairly juicy with a nice slightly acid flavour[K]. The fruits are about 8mm long[5].
Leaves and young shoots - cooked[11][13][14].
Leaves are a tea substitute[13][14].
Medicinal: The roots are aperient, carminative, febrifuge and ophthalmic[4][15][16][17][18]. They are used in the treatment of eye complaints, menorrhagia, chronic diarrhoea and piles[18].
The leaves have been used in the treatment of jaundice[18].
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[19]. It should not be used with Glycyrrhiza species (Liquorice) because this nullifies the effects of the berberine[19]. Berberine has also shown antitumour activity[19].
Usage: A yellow dye is obtained from the root.
Pollinators: Insects, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ McMillan-Browse, Philip. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books, 1985.
- ↑ Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg and Adam Stainton. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press, 1984.
- ↑ Ahrendt, Leslie. Berberis and Mahonia. Journal of the Linnean Society, 1961.
- ↑ Gamble, James. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1972.
- ↑ Schery. Robert. Plants for Man. Prentice Hall, 1972.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Gupta, Basant. Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Forest Research Institute Press, 1945.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.