Trees and Shrubs Online logo

Please consider supporting TSO in our May Appeal 2026 Donate

Cornus flowers
 

May Appeal 2026

Please help keep TSO growing!

IDS Trees and Shrubs Online has become a fundamental source of reliable information about cultivated woody plants, freely available to everyone, everywhere. We hope you find it useful.

For the first time we are asking our users if you could support us.

If everyone who uses TSO during May 2026 gives just £10, we would cover our costs for a whole year, enabling us to accelerate our work.

  Donate

Berberis coxii Schneid.

TSO logo

Sponsor this page

For information about how you could sponsor this page, see How You Can Help

Credits

Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

Recommended citation
'Berberis coxii' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/berberis/berberis-coxii/). Accessed 2026-05-10.

Family

  • Berberidaceae

Genus

Other taxa in genus

Glossary

glaucous
Grey-blue often from superficial layer of wax (bloom).
ovate
Egg-shaped; broadest towards the stem.

References

There are no active references in this article.

Credits

Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

Recommended citation
'Berberis coxii' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/berberis/berberis-coxii/). Accessed 2026-05-10.

Berberis coxii

Berberis coxii from Farrer 1399 at Exbury, Hampshire, UK. 16 May 2011. Image John Anderson.

A vigorous evergreen shrub to 7 ft high and eventually more across, with stout yellow-grey stems armed with flattened spines. Leaves elliptic to elliptic-ovate, about 2 in. long, leathery, glossy green above and glaucous grey beneath, with a few rather distant teeth. Flowers borne on stalks 1⁄2 in. long, in clusters of three to six. Berries glaucous blue, about 1⁄2 in. long.

Native of Upper Burma, introduced by Farrer from Hpimaw in 1919 and originally considered to be a form of B. hookeri, to which it is indeed closely related. It was recognised as a distinct species by Schneider and named by him after E. H. M. Cox, Farrer’s companion in Burma and the founder and editor of the incomparable New Flora and Sylva, which ceased publication in 1940 but is still much read and consulted by plant-lovers. B. coxii is a fine evergreen, bushy and of good habit. Mr Cox tells us that the original plants at Glendoick, planted forty years ago, are now about 6 ft high and 14 ft across.

Berberis coxii

Berberis coxii with developing fruit at Sherwood Garden, Devon, UK. 12 October 2011. Image John Anderson.

Berberis coxii

Berberis coxii from Farrer 1399 at Exbury, Hampshire, UK. 16 May 2011. Image John Anderson.

Berberis coxii

Finely verruculose brownish yellow branchlet, on Berberis coxii (Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, UK – 8 April 2019). Image © Jan De Langhe - Arboretum Wespelaar.

Berberis coxii

Pruinose lamina lower surface with obscured venation and slightly revolute margin on Berberis coxii (Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, UK – 8 April 2019). Image © Jan De Langhe - Arboretum Wespelaar.

Berberis coxii

Shiny dark green lamina upper surface, impressed venation and distant teeth on Berberis coxii (Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, UK – 8 April 2019). Image © Jan De Langhe - Arboretum Wespelaar.

Berberis coxii

Elliptic to ovate-elliptic leathery leaves, and 3-fid spines of Berberis coxii (Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, UK – 8 April 2019). Image © Jan De Langhe - Arboretum Wespelaar.

Berberis coxii

Foliage of Berberis coxii Farrer 1030 growing at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, UK (8 April 2019). Image © Jan De Langhe - Arboretum Wespelaar.

Contact the editors at