Darwin's Barberry

Today's the day ........................ to be orange

This bright orange Berberis is in full flower in our garden just now - and looks good enough to eat.

It is native to southern Chile and Argentina and its small purple-black berries which ripen in the summer have been consumed by the native people in Patagonia since pre-historic times.  It's existence was made known to the British Isles in 1835 by Charles Darwin when it was discovered during the voyage of the Beagle - and it was named Berberis darwinii  in his honour.

I'm not sure though, whether my New Zealand friends are going to be very keen to see it.  According to Wikipedia - B. darwinii  is regarded as an invasive plant pest in New Zealand that escaped from gardens into indigenous plant communities via its bird-dispersed seeds. It is considered a serious threat to indigenous ecosystems and is listed on the National Pest Plant Accord.

Oh dear - you can obviously have too much of a good thing ....................