page_title: Berberis holstii
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Berberis holstii / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: Berberis holstii carrying unripe berries, about 1 m high, leaves 2-3 cm long, photographed along the Chogoria route, Mount Kenya, at approximately 3050 m altitude
context_page_description: Berberis holstii is a spiny evergreen shrub assigned to the barberry family, with simple leaves, hanging panicles with a few yellow flowers and eventually blackish-blue berries. It is one out of only species of Berberis that grow in the wild in Africa, where it can be found at high altitudes in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Malawi. It is also reported from Yemen and Oman. In Malawi it is known as Kayunga, while in Ethiopia it is called Gewo, Yeset af in Amharic, as well as Zinkila, a name also used in the Afar language, and Godxantool in the Somali language.
context_section_description: Berberis holstii is hairless evergreen shrub of 1–3 m high, with reddish or brownish young shoots, that later develop dark grey bark. At the base of the short side shoots, that carry leaves and flowers, are 1–4 cm long spines with three (to five) branches. The leaves appear simple, but there are two short hairlike leaflets at the base. The large top leaflet is stiff and leathery, and mostly measures 2–3 cm in length, is generally inverted egg-shaped and may have a few spiny teeth along the margin and one at the tip. The typical yellow barberry flowers are in few flowered panicles 2½–7½ cm long. The three inner sepals are 6–7 mm long and rounded at their tip. The six petals are 4½–6 mm long and inverted egg-shaped. Like the flowers in many other Berberis-species, they contain stamens that respond to touch by rapidly moving upwards and inwards, to promote delivering pollen on the body of a visiting insect. The flowers will develop into long oval berries which retain the stigma, and are initially frosted green, turn to a frosted deep purple when ripe, and contain one to four seeds. In Malawi, flowers are present in October and November, while the berries are ripe in May and June.
caption: berries
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