Flora-Fauna

Berberis libanotica Ehrenb.

(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, Pl. I nº 2; 1983)

Life-form & habit: Densely branched shrub, 15–50 cm tall. Stems erect; branches spreading-erect, reddish to dark brown, armed at regular intervals with strong, yellow, often trifurcate spines longer than the leaf fascicles they protect.
Leaves: Glabrous, narrowly lanceolate to elliptical, long-attenuate at base, 10–11 mm long × 3–5 mm wide; margins very slightly recurved, entire; upper surface bright green, midrib conspicuous.
Inflorescence & flowers: Small racemes not exceeding the leaves. Pedicels with a small, triangular basal bract. Perianth with 6 yellow, petaloid, somewhat cucullate sepals, 4–5 mm across.
Fruit: Elliptical, blackish berry surmounted by the persistent style.
Phenology: Flowers in May–June; fruits in summer and early autumn.
Habitat & elevation: Montane to subalpine zones on rocky slopes, between 1,400 and 2,000 m.
Lebanese distribution: Mm. Western slopes of Mount Lebanon from Jabal Barouk to Jabal Qamou‘a and northern ‘Akkar; Ve. Opposite slopes from ‘Ammiq to ‘Aïnata and beyond; A.L. same elevation on western slopes but less frequent; Herm. seemingly absent above Rachaya, though reported once from Gheba‘a.
Syrian distribution: A.L. heights of the Anti-Lebanon range.