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Berberis holstii is a spiny evergreen shrub assigned to the barberry family, with simple leaves, hanging panicles with a few yellow flowers and eventually blackish-blue berries. It is one out of only species of Berberis that grow in the wild in Africa, where it can be found at high altitudes (above 2000 m) in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Malawi. It is also reported from Yemen and Oman. In Malawi it is known as Kayunga, while in Ethiopia it is called Gewo, Yeset af in Amharic, as well as Zinkila, a name also used in the Afar language, and Godxantool in the Somali language.
Berberis holstii occurs in the highlands of eastern Africa, from northern Malawi to Ethiopia and Somalia, and on the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen and Oman.
Berberis holstii is used as firewood, for making hedges, and cut branches are reported to be useful in the construction of barriers that are difficult for rodents to pass. It is also used in traditional medicine against a host of ailments, including coughing, pneumonia, malaria, stomach ache, and STDs, as an infusion of the root. One study found that alkaloid extracts of the roots showed significant activity against a strain of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, as well as good activity against a strain of HIV, while not being cytotoxic.
Berberis actinacantha · Berberis aemulans · Berberis aetnensis · Salmon barberry · Berberis agricola · Berberis ahrendtii · Berberis alpicola · Berberis amabilis · Berberis amoena · Amur Barberry · Berberis angustifolia · Berberis argentinensis
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Berberis holstii by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
