Berberis napaulensis Nepali: जमाने मान्द्रो is a shrub in the family Berberidaceae described as a species in 1821. It is native to China (Tibet, Yunnan, Guangxi, and Sichuan) and the Himalayas (Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Assam, Myanmar).[1] [2] This species is used medicinally throughout the Sikkim Eastern Himalayas.[3]
Berberis napaulensis is a shrub or small tree that can be 1–7 meters tall. Leaves are up to 61 centimeters long, with 5-12 pairs of leaflets plus a larger terminal leaflet, all shiny above, yellowish-green below. Flowers are yellow, borne in a large panicle. Berries are spherical, deep purple, 5–7 millimeters in diameter.
Berberis napaulensis was initially scientifically described and named by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle as Mahonia napaulensis in 1821.[4] [5] As part of a long running debate between botanists on if Mahonia should be a synonym of Berberis, Kurt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel classified it as Berberis napaulensis in 1825. A paper was published by Joseph Edward Laferrière in 1997 summarized the arguments in favor of Berberis as the correct classification. As of 2023 this is the most common classification by botanists.[6]
As of 2023 there are two recognized subspecies the former Mahonia pycnophylla and the autonym. There are botanical synonyms listed by Plants of the World Online for each of the subspecies recognized there, a very large number in the case of Berberis napaulensis var. napaulensis.
Berberis napaulensis var. napaulensis[7]
Berberis napaulensis var. pycnophylla (Fedde) Laferr.[8]
In Chiang Mai Province, Thailand, a species of rust fungus Pucciniosira cornuta (synonym of Gambleola cornuta) infects Berberis nepalensis.
In the Nilgiris, it is of religious and medicinal importance to the native Toda people of Tamil Nadu, who call it "Thovari" in their language. They use a paste made of the bark as a Traditional medicine remedy for women immediately after childbirth. The Toda also use a water extracted from the leaves to purify their temples after women have entered them, as women are forbidden from Toda temples.[9]