Common Name: Darwin's barberry
Type: Broadleaf evergreen
Family: Berberidaceae
Native Range: Argentina, Chile
Zone: 7 to 9
Height: 5.00 to 10.00 feet
Spread: 4.00 to 7.00 feet
Bloom Time: March to April
Bloom Description: Orange-yellow
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Hedge, Naturalize
Flower: Showy
Leaf: Evergreen
Attracts: Birds
Fruit: Showy
Other: Thorns
Tolerate: Deer, Drought, Clay Soil
Culture
Best grown in evenly moist, well-draining soils in full sun to part shade. Will tolerate more shade, but flowering may be reduced and the growth habit less dense. Tolerant of occasional drought once established and clayey soils. Choose a site with protection from cold, drying, winter winds. Hardy in Zones 7-9. Prune hedges as needed after flowering, but avoid major pruning of specimen plants to maintain their natural form.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Berberis darwinii, commonly called Darwin's barberry, is a medium to large sized, densely branched, evergreen shrub native to the mountains of Chilean and Argentinian Patagonia. Mature plants will reach 5-10' tall and spread to fill a 4-7' area with arching branches and an upright spreading, fountain-like growth habit. The small, dark green, glossy leaves are holly-like in appearance with 1-6 spiny teeth along their margins and will reach up to 1" long and 0.5" wide. Pendant, 2-4" long clusters of bright orange-yellow flowers bloom early to mid-spring. The flowers are followed by purplish berries that are attractive to birds.
Genus name comes from the Latinized form of the Arabian name for the fruit.
The specific epithet darwinii honors Charles Darwin (1809-1882), English naturalist who encountered this plant in Chile while on the second expedition of the HMS Beagle in 1835.
Problems
No major pest or disease problems of note. Deer tend to avoid this plant.
Uses
Specimen for mixed borders, wooded edges, planted hillsides, coastal gardens. Formal or informal hedge.