Calafate Barberry Seedling

Calafate Barberry Seedling

One of the most symbolic plants of southern Patagonia, the Calafate Barberry Seedling has long been prized in South America for its delicious and nutritious dark blue fruits. The antioxidant rich berries are a sweet tart treat and far superior to the fruit of most barberry species. In Chile and Argentina the berries are used to make jams, liqueurs, beer, and juices. The Mapuche Tribe has valued the fruit for its therapeutic and medicinal qualities for centuries and modern science is now discovering many different polyphenols and bioactive compounds contained in the berries. And besides the fruit the Calafate Barberry makes a gorgeous small evergreen shrub that produces masses of bright yellow flowers each spring followed by the handsome round blue berries in late summer.

An old Patagonian legend says that anyone who eats of the Calafate berry will surely return to Patagonia!

This is the same species as our Nana Barberry but in the standard form of the species rather than the dwarfing form of the Nana Barberry.

Latin Name: Berberis microphylla
Site and Soil: Barberries like 1/2 day to full sun and well-drained soil.
Pollination Requirements: Self-fertile.
Hardiness: Hardy to about 0° F.
Bearing Age: 2 years after planting.
Size at Maturity:  3-4 feet in height
Taste: Sweet-tart
Fruit Skin: Dark blue
Bloom Time: April
Ripening Time: September
Yield: 4-5 lbs.
Pests & Diseases: Barberry is not bothered by pests and diseases.
USDA Zone: 7