A low, deciduous bush 3 ft high, of close, compact habit; branches furrowed. Leaves lustrous green above, white beneath, obovate, 1 in. or less long, tapering at the base to a short stalk, the margin armed with spiny teeth. Three spines, each 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 in. long, guard the base of each tuft of leaves. Flowers solitary, on a slender stalk 1 to 11⁄2 in. long, pendent, globose, deep yellow, 1⁄2 in. across. Berries oblong, fleshy, red, 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 in. long. Bot. Mag., t. 4744.
Native of the Sikkim-Himalaya at 12,000 to 13,000 ft; introduced to Kew by Sir Joseph Hooker about 1850. A very pretty barberry, and distinct through the vivid whiteness of the under-surface of the leaves. It is best propagated by seeds, which it produces most seasons.
B. (concinna × calliantha) ‘Concal’. – This hybrid was raised by Capt. Collingwood Ingram, Benenden, Kent, and given an Award of Merit in 1948. It is a compact, semi-deciduous shrub with lemon-yellow flowers up to 3⁄4 in. across.
A barberry collected by Kingdon Ward in 1924 under KW 6326 is near to B. concinna and was distributed under that name, but is given specific rank by Dr Ahrendt as B. TSANGPOENSIS. As a garden plant it differs in its lower and more spreading habit.