Search / Plant Profile / Berberis harrisoniana

Plant Profile

Kofa Barberry (Berberis harrisoniana)

Global Rank: G2 - Imperiled
Legal Status: N/A
Family: Berberidaceae
State: AZ, CA
Nature Serve ID: 134050
Lifeform: Shrub
Date Inducted in National Collection:

Description:

Known as either the Harrison’s or Kofa barberry, Berberis harrisoniana is an evergreen shrub known for its clusters of bright yellow flowers that later mature into its black-blue barberries. Though some barberries are safe to eat, this species is NOT one of them! Other recognizable traits include its thick, evergreen leaves that are lined with spines at the leaf tips. Known populations of B. harrisoniana are scattered on both sides of the California-Arizona border where the terrain is mainly desert mountain ranges. In these conditions, B.harrisoniana prefers high elevations where it thrives in shaded alcoves along the mountainous, steep-walled canyons. On both sides of the state line, B. harrisoniana suffers from the same conservation threats including trampling and erosion.

Where is Kofa Barberry (Berberis harrisoniana) located in the wild?

Habitat:

B. harrisoniana grow in shaded alcoves and caves along canyon walls with elevations between 700 and 1200m. These canyons are vertically steep with soil mainly composed of andesite and rhyolite.

Distribution:

This species is distributed between Arizona and California. Between the two, B. harrisoniana is primarily found in Arizona (Maricopa, Yuma, and Pima counties). In California, B. harrisoniana only occurs in the southeastern corner of San Bernardino County. In that area, they have been found growing across the Whipple Mountain region.

States & Provinces:

Kofa Barberry can be found in Arizona, California

Which CPC Partners conserve Kofa Barberry (Berberis harrisoniana)?

California Botanic Garden

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 06/09/17

Desert Botanical Garden

Not Sponsored

Assigned 06/14/17

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

Center for Plant Conservation

07/13/2021

In 2016, genetic sequence of a Berberis harrisoniana voucher was mapped and entered into NCBI by Y.D. Kim, S.H. Kim, and L.R. Landrum.
An associated taxonomy paper by the same authors can be found here: "Taxonomic and phytogeographic implications from ITS phylogeny in Berberis (Berberidaceae)."

09/01/2020

Based on an September 2020 extract of the California Plant Rescue Database, California Botanic Garden holds 1 accessions of Berberis harrisoniana in orthodox seed collection. There are as many as 2062 seeds of this species in their collection - although some may have been used for curation testing or sent to back up.

08/05/2020

Based on an August 2020 extract of the California Plant Rescue Database, California Botanic Garden has collected 1 seed accessions of Berberis harrisoniana from 1 plant occurrences listed in the California Natural Diversity Database. These collections together emcompass 13 maternal plants