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The Barberry

The beautiful Barberry (Nat. Ord. Berberidacea), with its brilliant red clusters of minute, juicy ovals of pulp, is known all over the world in temperate and colder climates except in Australia-either as the common Barberry or the Ash-leaved Berry, the latter, however, being insipid or unpleasant in flavour. The former, Berberis vulgaris, is not only extremely ornamental but its tartness is of decided value and so recognised, scientifically, in France, where malic acid is manufactured from the berries. A certain, smaller per cent. of citric acid is associated with the malic acid but the latter is its chief source of acidity and value.

These loose bunches of little oval berries are generally too acid and astringent to be pleasing as food in their natural condition of ripeness (admitting exceptions), but cooked, a syrup, preserves, jelly, and jam of fine flavour and colour are made from them, and in tarts they rival the cranberry. Also, some varieties are susceptible of being dried in the sun and kept indefinitely for future use. The bark and the root are used in tropical countries for tanning and dyeing yellow. Their juice is refrigerant and anti-scorbutic and they are used in fevers for their cooling effect and in diarrhœas a preparation of them is frequently prescribed by some physicians because of the malic acid which so effectively kills germs of this type. In larger doses they are cathartic; in small ones tonic and laxative.