Berberis holstii Engl.

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Lake Kaulime, Nyika National Park

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Synonyms:	Berberis aristata DC. var. subintegra Engl. Berberis petitiana C.K. Schneider
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Hairless shrub up to 3 m tall; branches purplish when young, armed with spines, 3-forked from the base, up to 4 cm long. Leaves usually clustered on short lateral shoots, subsessile, appearing simple but in reality 3-foliolate with minute lateral leaflets 1-3 mm long; main leaflet oblong, obovate or oblanceolate, up to 6 cm long, leathery, purplish when young, discolorous, dark green above, blue green to almost white beneath; margin usually dentate with spiny-tipped teeth. Inflorescences in axillary racemes up 5 cm long. Flowers yellow with petals smaller than inner sepals. Fruit an ellipsoid berry, c. 1.3 cm long, dark blue, crowned by the persistent stigma.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	holstii: named after C.H.E.W. Holst (1865-1894), German horticulturalist and plant collector.
Habitat:	Along forest margins, in montane grassland and among eriocod scrub.
Altitude range:	Above 2000 m
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia.
Malawi distribution:	N
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Content last updated:	Thursday 28 March 2019
Literature:	Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 115. (Includes a picture). Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 35. White, F., Dowsett-Lemaire, F. & Chapman, J.D. (2001). Evergreen forest flora of Malawi Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Pages 167 - 168. (Includes a picture). Wild, H. (1960). Berberidaceae Flora Zambesiaca 1(1) Pages 171 - 173. (Includes a picture).

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Flora of Zambia: Berberis holstii

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African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Berberis holstii
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Berberis holstii
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Berberis holstii
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Berberis holstii
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iNaturalist: Berberis holstii
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Berberis holstii
JSTOR Plant Science: Berberis holstii
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Berberis holstii
Plants of the World Online: Berberis holstii
Tropicos: Berberis holstii
Wikipedia: Berberis holstii