About Alloberberis fremontii (Torr.) C.C.Yu & K.F.Chung
This species is currently accepted under the scientific name Alloberberis fremontii (Torr.) C.C.Yu & K.F.Chung, and was previously treated as Berberis fremontii. It is an erect evergreen shrub that can grow up to 4.5 meters tall. Its leaves are several centimeters long, and are composed of multiple holly-leaf-shaped leaflets. Each leaflet is most often 1 to 2.6 centimeters long, with spiny teeth along the edges. New leaves are purplish, mature leaves turn green, and aged leaves become greenish blue. It produces abundant inflorescences in spring, each holding 8 to 12 bright yellow flowers. Each flower has nine sepals and six petals, all arranged in whorls of three. The fruit is a berry up to 1.5 centimeters wide, which can range in color from yellowish to purple to nearly black. It is native to mountainous areas of the US states of Arizona, Nevada, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, where it grows in desert grassland and pinyon-juniper woodland. The Zuni people use its crushed berries as a purple coloring for skin and for ceremonial objects.
