Berberis libanotica
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Berberidaceae
Genus: Berberis
Species:
B. libanotica
Binomial name
Berberis libanotica
Ehrenb. ex C.K.Schneid.

Berberis libanotica is a species of plant in the family Berberidaceae. It is a shrub, that grows in temperate regions and is native to Lebanon and Syria.

Taxonomy

It was first published by Austrian botanist Camillo Karl Schneider (1876–1951) in Ill. Handb. Laubholzk. vol.1 on page 310 in 1905, based on an earlier description by Ehrenb. (1795-1876).[1][2][3]

It was originally found Libanon (the German name) for Lebanon.[1]

Berberis libanotica is considered by C. Schneider and most botanists after him as specifically distinct from B. cretica L. It is however very close to it and differs only by the absence of stomata on the upper side of the leaves, and is rarely synonymized under Berberis cretica.[4]

Uses

It is a medicinal plant well known to the Lebanese, who make use of the solution obtained by maceration of its roots in tepid water for treating certain liver and gall bladder diseases. The investigation of its active agents was the topic of a doctorate dissertation in pharmacy submitted by J. Ades in 1948 at the French Faculty of Medicine, Beirut.

Description

Shrubby tree reaching up to 1.50 metres (4 ft 11 in). Branches blackish red. provided with strong yellow spines, close to each other, often 3-parted. Leaves glabrous, sessile, 15–25 millimetres (0.59–0.98 in) long over 5–7 millimetres (0.20–0.28 in) wide, strongly innerved. It flowers between May and June. Inflorescence in racemes smaller than leaves. Perianth made of 6 petal-like yellow sepals, 4–5 millimetres (0.16–0.20 in) in diameter. Stamens ; anthers oval. Ovary topped by a thick sessile stigma. Fruit an ovate blackish berry.

Distribution and habitat

It is found in the middle East.[2]

Geographic area

It is native to Lebanon and Syria.[2]

Habitat

It is found on mountains, including the eastern slope of Hermon, Antilebanon.[5] At altitudes of 1,600 and 2,200 m (5,200 and 7,200 ft) above sea level.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Schneider, Camillo (1906). "Illustriertes Handbuch der Laubholzkunde :Charakteristik der in Mitteleuropa heimischen und im freien angepflanzten angiospermen Geho¨lz-Arten und Formen mit Ausschluss der Bambuseen und Kakteen". G. Fischer. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Berberis libanotica Ehrenb. ex C.K.Schneid. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  3. ↑ "WFO (2023): Berberis libanotica Ehrenb. ex C.K.Schneid". Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  4. ↑ "Berberis cretica L". Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  5. ↑ Mustapha Nehmeh, Wild Flowers Of Lebanon, National Council For Scientific Research, 1978, pages 166, 167.
  • Danin, A. & Fragman- Sapir, O. (2019). Flora of Israel Online http://flora.org.il/en/plants.
  • Georges Tohme & Henriette Tohme, Illustrated Flora of Lebanon, National Council For Scientific Research, Second Edition 2014.
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