National Collection of Imperiled Plants

CPC National Collection Plant Profile

Photographer:

Valerie Soza

Search Alphabetical List Reference Finder CPC Home

CPC National Collection Plant Profile

Berberis nevinii

Family:	Berberidaceae
Common Name:	Nevin's barberry
Author:	(Gray) Fedde
Growth Habit:	Shrub
CPC Number:	2777

Distribution
Protection
Conservation
References

Profile Links

ITIS
Tropicos
PLANTS
Fish & WildLife
Forest Service

enlarge

Photographer: Valerie Soza
Image Owner: Rancho Santa Ana

enlarge

Photographer: Bart O'Brien
Image Owner: Personal

Berberis nevinii is Not Sponsored

Primary custodian for this plant in the CPC National Collection of Endangered Plants is:

Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden

Valerie Soza, Naomi Fraga contributed to this Plant Profile.

The initial writing of this profile was funded by the U.S. Forest Service

Berberis nevinii

Berberis nevinii is a large rounded shrubby member of the barberry family (Berberidaceae) that grows up to 4 meters tall, with blue-green, spiny pinnate leaves. This species is federally-listed as endangered and is also widely cultivated and popular in xeric gardens, in part for its bright red edible berries and bright yellow flowers that bloom March through April.

Distribution & Occurrence

Top

State Range

California

Habitat

Berberis nevinii generally grows in sandy/gravelly places between 240 and 820 m (800-2,700 feet) in elevation, on steep north-facing slopes or on low gradient, (south-facing) washes. Bedrock is typically of sedimentary origin (Boyd 1987). Associated plant communities are alluvial scrub, riparian scrub or woodland, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and/or oak woodland (CNDDB 2007). A notable floristic feature of sites examined was the presence of several desert species not characteristic of cismontane chaparral (Boyd 1987; Mistretta and Brown 1989).

Distribution

The distribution of Berberis nevinii is scattered with populations located throughout southern California in Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. Historically, this species was distributed from San Francisquito Canyon in the Liebre Mountains to San Fernando Valley and the Arroyo Seco near Pasadena (Los Angeles County), to San Antonio Wash along the southern base of the San Gabriel Mountains (San Bernardino County), to Scott Canyon and San Timoteo Canyon near Redlands, and to Dripping Springs/Vail Lake area (Riverside County) (CNDDB 2000). The origins of several historical occurrences have been questionable as to whether these sites are natural or introduced.

Number Left

There have been a total of 34 occurrences of Berberis nevinii reported in southern California, 5 of which have been or are presumed extirpated and 7 considered to have been introduced. Total number of individuals is estimated at 500, with approximately half of those as naturally occurring individuals. In addition, the majority of occurrences are comprised of only one to few individuals, with little to no reproduction observed (CNDDB 2007).

Protection

Top

Global Rank:	G2	12/11/1998	Guide to Global Ranks
Federal Status:	LE	10/13/1998	Guide to Federal Status
Recovery Plan:	No	2/27/1989

State/Area Protection

	State/Area	Rank	Status	Date
	California	S2.2	1

Conservation, Ecology & Research

Top

Ecological Relationships

Little information is available on life history, population demographics, breeding system, and pollination biology of this species. One observation has been the development of fertile seed as rarely occurring (Mistretta and Brown 1989).

Threats

Most of the historic habitat of Berberis nevinii has been eliminated by agriculture, urban development, and flood control and stream channelization (Mistretta and Brown 1989). Other current threats that have been identified at several occurrences, in addition to ongoing development, are brush clearing, road maintenance, invasion by exotic plant species, off-road vehicle damage, and other recreational activities (CNDDB 2007).

Current Research Summary

Berberis nevinii has a long history in cultivation and has proven itself well-suited to cultivation with wide tolerances to different soils and cultivation practices (Mistretta and Brown 1989).

Current Management Summary

The majority of known occurrences, including those natural occurrences with the largest number of individuals, are located on private property and not protected. Only three natural occurrences are located on federal lands (national forest system lands) and subject to federal protection

Research Management Needs

More surveys are needed within suitable habitat or within adjacent areas to or upstream from existing populations to locate additional occurrences of Berberis nevinii. Annual monitoring of existing populations is needed to determine reproduction and seedling recruitment within populations.
In addition, genetic analysis of existing and introduced populations are crucial to understanding population dynamics; and experimental efforts into reintroduction of Berberis nevinii into protected areas may be warranted.

Monitoring Efforts

Angeles National Forest monitors this species occasionally at the San Francisquito Canyon occurrence, however there are no systematic monitoring efforts for this species.

Ex Situ Needs

Genetic analysis in introduced populations need to be examined to determined the seed source of these populations

References

Top

Books (Single Authors)

Reiser, C.H. 1994. Rare Plants of San Diego County. Imperial Beach, CA: Aquafir Press.

Books (Sections)

Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the U.S., Canada, and Greenland. In: Kartesz, J.T.; Meacham, C.A., editors. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden. Chapel Hill, NC.

Books (Edited Volumes)

James C. Hickman, Editor. 1993 The Jepson manual: Higher plants of California. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1400p.

Electronic Sources

CNDDB. (2000). Calfornia Natural Diversity Data Base (CNDDB). Version 2.1.2. California Natural Diversity Database. Accessed: California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento.

Journal Articles

USFWS. 1976. Proposed Endangered Status for 1700 U.S. Plants. Federal Register. 41: 24523-24572.

USFWS. 1995. Proposed endangered and threatened status for four chaparral plants from southwestern California and northwestern Baja California, Mexico. Federal Register. 60, 190: 51443-51452.

USFWS. 1998. Endangered or threatened status for three plants from the chaparral and scrub of southwestern California. Federal Register. 63, 197: 54956-54971.

Reports

Boyd, S. 1987. Habitat parameters of Mahonia nevinii (Gray) Fedde (Berberidaceae). Claremont, California: Technical Report No. 3. Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden.

Dudek & Associates, Inc. 1999. Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP) (Riverside County Integrated Plan (RCIP)) �Draft Proposal�. Riverside, CA: County of Riverside Transportation and Land Management Agency. p.165. Draft Proposal.

KEA Environmental, Inc. 2001. Biological Resources Technical Report for the Valley Rainbow Interconnect. San Diego, CA: San Diego Gas & Electric Company.

Mistretta, O.; Brown, W.J., Jr. 1989. Species management guide for Mahonia nevinii (Gray) Fedde, Angeles National Forest. Technical Report No. 3. Claremont, California: Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden.

Stephenson, John R.; Calcarone, Gena M. 1999. Southern California Mountains and Foothills Assessment: Habitat and Species Conservation Issues. Chapter 5 - Potentially Vulnerable Species: Plants. Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. p.402. General Technical report PSW-GTR-172.

Search Other National Collection Profiles

This profile was updated on 9/28/2010