Common Name:

General Information

Berberis integerrima is a much-branched, spiny, deciduous shrub that usually grows around 1 - 3 metres tall but can sometimes reach 4 metres[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is cultivated in Iran (especially Khorasan) for the berries - the cultivated races have rather large fruits whereas the fruits of wild plants are not tasty[].

Known Hazards

All parts of the plant contain the alkaloid berberine - this is most concentrated in the roots, stems and inner bark, and least concentrated in the fruits. In small quantities berberine has a range of effective medicinal applications but, in excess, can cause vomiting, lowered blood pressure, reduced heart rate, lethargy, and other ill-effects.
The fruit of most, if not all, members of this genus are more or less edible and can be eaten in quantity since the levels of berberine in the fruit are very low.

Botanical References

Range

Asia - Turkey, Irag, Iran, Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Tajikistan; Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, western China, Pakistan

Habitat

Stony mountain slopes[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	3.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Berberis integerrima is often found growing in semi-arid climates in Asia, where winters can be cold with snow, and summers are hot and often dry1161].
Species in this genus generally prefer a warm moist loamy soil and light shade but are by no means fastidious, succeeding in thin, dry and shallow soils[, ]. Established plants are drought tolerant[].
Plants can be pruned back quite severely, they resprout well from the base.
Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[].
Often cultivated as a fruit crop in Iran, where more than 11,000 hectares of the seedless cultivar 'Bidaneh' are grown, producing more than 9,200 tonnes of fruit per annum[].
Several named forms have been developed, including a seedless form known as 'Bidaneh'[].
Plants have a tendency towards biennial bearing, especially as they grow older[].
Generally, plants begin to fruit 3 - 4 years after planting out suckers, and a 7-year-old orchard should produce about 2 tonnes of dried crop per hectare in suitable conditions and in the 'on' year[]
Some Berberis species (especially Berberis vulgaris) harbour the black stem-rust fungus (Puccinia graminis Persoon). This is a major disease of wheat and barley crops and can spread from infected barberries to the grain crop. The sale or transport of susceptible or untested species of Berberis is illegal in the United States and Canada[]. We have no data on susceptibility for this species, though it is not known to be prone to this disease in the semi-arid regions where it grows wild[, ].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[]. Fruits of the wild species are not considered to be tasty, but forms have been developed in cultivation with larger, tastier fruits[]. The obovate or oblong, purple- red fruits are around 7 - 8mm long[]. (these are the wild fruits, cultivated forms are apparently larger[]),
The dried fruit is used mainly as a food additive in Iranian dishes, whilst the fresh fruit is used for the production of jellies, syrups, jams, sauces, juices, fruit concentrates and carbonated beverages[].
The anthocyanins in the fruit have recently been given much attention and are considered as a useful additive (i.e. as a natural coloring agent) in food industries[].

Medicinal

In traditional medicine, this plant was used to cure such diseases as infectious fevers, typhus and diarrhoea.
In vitro and in vivo studies indicate pharmacological activities including antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-diabetic, hepatoprotective, and antihypertensive effects[].
In studies of Staphylococcus aureus, it was found that the fruit extract enhanced antibacterial activity of ampicillin with 1-methyl malate as the active component[].

An aqueous extract of the roots has een shown to be antioxidant, cholesterolemic and hypoglycaemic. It can be used effectively in the treatment of dult-onset diabetes[].
A methanol extract of the root has been shown to have anticonvulsant properties and can be used in the treatment of petit mal epilepsy[].

The alkaloid berberine, which is universally present in the roots and stems of Berberis species, has marked antibacterial effects. Since it is not appreciably absorbed by the body, it is used orally in the treatment of various enteric infections, especially bacterial dysentery[].
It should not be used in combination with Glycyrrhiza species (Liquorice) because this nullifies the effects of the berberine[].
Berberine has also shown antitumour activity[].

Other Uses

A brown dye obtained from the roots and stems is used for dyeing wool, silk and cotton[, ].

In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that the extract of the plant could be a biologically active controlling agent, useful in treating fire blight caused by Erwinia amylovora[].

The bark extract has significant negative effect on the mould fungus Botrytis cinerea, which causes great economic losses of crops every year[].

Berberine, obtained from the roots and stems of the plant, may be effective in controlling brown rot caused by Monilinia fructicola, which causes considerable yield reduction of peaches[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, when it should germinate in late winter or early spring[]. Seed from over-ripe fruit will take longer to germinate[], whilst stored seed may require cold stratification and should be sown in a cold frame as early in the year as possible[]. The seedlings are subject to damping off, so should be kept well ventilated[]. When the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame. If growth is sufficient, it can be possible to plant them out into their permanent positions in the autumn, but generally it is best to leave them in the cold frame for the winter and plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a frame.
Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth, preferably with a heel, autumn in a frame[].
Suckers, removed in late autumn/early winter and planted out in situ or potted up and planted out in late spring[].