In 1753 Linnaeus created the Berberis genus name; in 1818 Thomas Nuttall created the Mahonia genus name.

     In 1849 Asa Gray placed the first species below in the Berberis genus and it has  remained there.

     In 1859 John Torrey placed the second species below in the Berberis genus, but in 1901 Friedrich Fedde moved it to the Mahonia genus.

     In 1828 John Lindley placed the third species shown below in the Berberis genus, but in 1831 Georg Don moved it to the Mahonia genus.

     The Flora of North America states that although "Mahonia is often recognized in horticultural works, ... it is seldom recognized by botanists."  The FNA has eliminated the Mahonia genus and placed all former members in the Berberis genus.

     William Weber's Colorado Flora, Stanley Welsh's Utah Flora, and John Kartesz's The Synthesis of the North American Flora  disagree with the FNA, placing the first species below in the Berberis genus but the other two species below in the Mahonia genus.

     Weber separates the two genera as follows:

     Berberis:  "Leaves simple, deciduous, with marginal teeth or weak spines; stems with branched spines at the base of the leaf clusters; sparingly branched, wand-like shrub".

     Mahonia:  "Leaves compound, evergreen, with stout marginal spines; stems not spiny".

     Welsh separates the two genera as follows:

     Berberis: "Primary leaves modified as pines; foliage leaves simple, aggregated on axillary spurs".

     Mahonia:  "Primary leaves pinnately compound, the leaflets spinose-toothed".

Berberis fendleri
Berberidaceae (Barberry Family)

Montane. Woodlands.  Summer.
Calico National Recreation Trail, June 16, 2004.

These slender bushes grow in scattered colonies or thickets, especially in the shade of Ponderosa Pines. Typically there are three or four woody stems with alternate clusters of leaves and pendulous sprays of bright yellow flowers emanating from leaf axils.  (See the flowers arched over at the 18 inch mark on the ruler.)

"Berberis" is, according to Weber, from "Berberys", the Arabic name for the fruit.  Augustus Fendler was a well known plant collector of the 19th century. (More biographical information.)

Berberis fendleri
Berberidaceae (Barberry Family)

Montane. Woodlands.  Summer.
Calico National Recreation Trail, June 16, 2004.

Berberis fendleri
Berberidaceae (Barberry Family)

Montane. Woodlands.  Summer.
Calico National Recreation Trail, June 16, 2004.

Three-to-five parted spines grow quite stout at the bottom of the woody stems.

Berberis fendleri
Berberidaceae (Barberry Family)

Montane. Woodlands.  Summer.
Calico National Recreation Trail, September 10, 2007.