Jenny Evans asked 10 years ago
I have several holly-like plants appearing in the garden. This spring one flowered with beautiful yellow clusters of flowers, and now berries are forming. The flowers are like Mahonia, but the leaves are not compound. They are in clusters around the stems like Osmanthus. What is it?
1 Answers
Gerry Daly Staff answered 6 years ago
This shrub is Darwin’s barberry, Berberis darwinii, native of South America where Charles Darwin came across it. It produces copious blue-black berries and seeds but surprisingly infrequently for the number of seeds produced. Spring flowering with clusters of bright orange flowers and small evergreen spiny leaves. It will grow to three or four metres.
