Densely branched shrub to 2 m tall. Young shoots brown, densely hairy. Spines 0.5-1 cm long. Leaves thick, evergreen, 1-2 cm long, 0.5-1 cm wide, tip pointed with spine, margin with 1-2 pairs of spined teeth, upper surface shiny. Leaf stalk absent. Flowers in clusters of 10-30, orange-yellow; spring. Fruit berries 6-7 mm wide, ellipsoid, black with a waxy blue bloom.

Chile, Argentina

Naturalised in Victoria and New South Wales.

Berberis buxifolia Lam. is occasionally cultivated; it has evergreen leaves mostly less than 2 cm long but they are toothless and the flowers are solitary not clustered.

Source: Spencer, R. (1997). Berberidaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 2. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 1. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.