Berberis ulicina

Berberis ulicina Hook. f. & Thomson, Fl. Ind. 1: 227 1855. ;

Common name: Gorse Barberry • Ladakhi: ཁིཟེར་ Khizer, ཀིརཨརིག་ Kiraring

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Leh Plants : 5 posts by 4 authors. Attachments (2).

Request for identification.
Plant collected on way to Nubra valley from Khardungla Pass on 9th September 2009.

Berberis sp.!

Yes it is Berberis sp., more after I am back

This is Berberis ulicina. It is very common in Nubra valley of Ladhak region.
This species is a typical cold desert found in dry rocks.

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Berberis ulicina Hook. f. & Thomson : 3 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (5)
Sharing some pictures I guess is Berberis ulicina Hook. f. & Thomson shot in the Khardung Village on 21 August 2014.

I am not clear about the habit of the palnt from your pictures.

These images appear close to Berberis ulicina as per the following:

Berberis ulicina images herein.

FOP illustration

FOI

But FOP says berries to be blackish while FOC says these to be black or red. Thus creating doubt.
Experts are requested to pl. help.

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Berberis ulicina Hook. f. & Thomson : 6 posts by 3 authors. Attachments (5)
Sharing some pictures I guess is Berberis ulicina Hook. f. & Thomson shot in the Khardung Village on 21 August 2014.

I am not clear about the habit of the palnt from your pictures.

These images appear close to Berberis ulicina as per the following:

Berberis ulicina images herein.

FOP illustration

FOI

But FOP says berries to be blackish while FOC says these to be black or red. Thus creating doubt.
Experts are requested to pl. help.

Delighted to view some quality close-ups of what I understand to be B.ulicina. I have not seen this species myself in Ladakh, just images from Nubra and towards Kangi La but only distant shots. It superficially reminded me of Berberis mucrifolia I had seen in Upper Kali Gandaki/ Mustang in Nepal. Stewart described B.ulicina as the most xerophytic of Berberis in Pakistan & Kashmir, usually at the highest levels. I have seen other photos of the fruit of it being a similar colour. Perhaps the description in FOP was based upon old/ dried fruits. Many plants have fruits which change colour as they age, sometimes becoming black. The fruits may also change colour when dried and kept in herbaria, so unless the colour is noted in accompanying field notes to pressed specimens, the descriptions are based upon the dried specimens. Stewart only recorded B.ulicina from Ladakh but Dickore & Klimes also list B.orthobotrys and B.parkeriana. Berberis is a very, very difficult genus identification-wise, which would benefit from further studies/revision. Do not think either of these species would be confused with B.ulicina.

Thanks, a lot, …, for the confirmation

Berberis ulicina for validation: 7 images- 5 high res.
Taken on the way to Nubra valley from Khardung La (17800 ft.) on 16.6.22.
It appears close to Berberis ulicina.