Berberis manipurana Ahrendt

Berberis species deciduous or evergreen shrubs, spiny or glabrous. Stems angular, terete or sulcate, spines are 3 or 5 fid. Leaves simple, but usually with a joint at the junction of lamina and petiole, in whorls or fascicles, attached to node and protected by spines, long shoots metamorphosed into spines, axils of short shoots bear cluster of green leaves, alternate, lanceolate, ovate, margin entire, dentate, chartaceous, coriaceous, usually petiolate. Inflorescences solitary or fascicled flowers, axillary, cymes. Flowers bisexual, sepals 6, rarely 6-12, imbricate in 2 to 4 series, bracts 2-3, appressed, caducous, petals 6, in 2 series, free, imbricate, normally with 2 basal glands towards inner side. Stamens 3-6, anther-locules opening by recurved valves, ovary simple, club shaped, ovules 1-12, subbasal, erect, style short or sessile, stigma, Fruits few seeded berry, blood red or black, ellipsoid to globose or ovoid, seeds about 2-10, reddish brown or black.

Berberis species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects. Flowering/Fruiting: March-May/June-Oct.

Seeds may be dispersed zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals.

Evergreen shrub, about 2-3 m tall. Stem terete or angled, branched sparsely, glabrous, upper branches verrucose, lower terete, internodes about 2-6 cm long, spines slender, short, 2-6 from a node, middle ones longer, usually absent near the apex, concolorous, sulcate, about 0.5-3 cm long. Leaves densely arranged up to 3-6 in a node, oblong-elliptic to narrow ovate, 4.5-8.5 x 1.3-3 cm across, base attentuate, margin subentire with small spinules, apex acuminate or deeply acute with mucronate tip, subcoriaceous, dark green, lustrous above, paler epruinose, sublustrous beneath, lateral veins 4-7 on either side of the midrib, impressed above, prominently veined on the midrib beneath, petiole subsessile or 2-4 mm long, hypoderm absent. Inflorescence fascicled, 4-15 flowered. Flowers bisexual, yellow, about 4-6 mm across, pedicels slender, glabrous about 15-20 mm long, prophylls 2, ovate, concave, apex acute, thickened in the middle, sepals 6, in 2 series, outer series smallest and inner series largest, outer series 3, ovate-oblong, apex obtuse, petals 6, obovate or oblong, base cuneate with 2 glands, margin entire, apex emarginate, about 4.5-8.5 x 2.5-7.5 mm across. Stamens produced at the apex, about 3.5-5 mm long, connectives apiculate tip 2 dentate, ovary simple, oblong, about 3.5 x 1.2 mm across, estylose, stigma about 1.5 mm broad, ovules 2-5. Fruits are several seeded berries, ovoid-oblong, glabrous, not shining, blue when ripe, about 7-10 x 4-6 mm across.

Berberis species are susceptible to insect pests, powdery mildews, rusts and viral diseases.

In Oak-Magnolia forests, altitude of about 1500-2500 m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Fruits are edible.