Berberis acanthifolia (Wallich ex G. Don) Wallich ex Walpers; B. gautamae Laferrière; B. griffithii (Takeda) Laferrière; B. leschenaultii Wallich ex Wight & Arnott; B. longlinensis (Y. S. Wang & P. K. Hsiao) Laferrière; B. manipurensis (Takeda) Laferrière; B. miccia Walpers, nom. illeg. superfl.; B. napaulensis (Candolle) Laferrière; B. napaulensis var. leschenaultii (Wallich ex Wight & Arnott) J. D. Hooker & Thomson; B. pomensis (Ahrendt) Laferrière; B. salweenensis (Ahrendt) Laferrière; Mahonia acanthifolia Wallich ex G. Don; M. griffithii Takeda; M. leschenaultii (Wallich ex Wight & Arnott) Takeda; M. longlinensis Y. S. Wang & P. K. Hsiao; M. manipurensis Takeda; M. miccia Buchanan-Hamilton ex D. Don, nom. illeg. superfl.; M. napaulensis var. leschenaultii (Wallich ex Wight & Arnott) Fedde; M. pomensis Ahrendt; M. salweenensis Ahrendt; M. sikkimensis Takeda.

Shrubs or small trees, 1-7 m tall. Leaves abaxially yellowish green, ± shiny, adaxially dark green, ± shiny, elliptic to ovate, 17-61 × 7-19 cm, with 5-12 pairs of leaflets, lowest 0.5-2(-4) cm above base of petiole, abaxially venation reticulate, raised, adaxially main veins impressed, others impressed or slightly raised; rachis 2-4 mm in diam.; internodes (1-)2-5(-8.3) cm, decreasing in length upward; leaflets oblong, oblong-ovate, or ovate to ovate-lanceolate, lowest 1.3-3.7 × 1.2-2.4 cm, those above 2-9.5 × 1.5-5 cm, base broadly cuneate, rounded, or sometimes subcordate, oblique, margin with 3-10 teeth on each side, apex acute, acuminate, or cuspidate; terminal leaflet larger, 6-10 × 2-3 cm, sessile or petiolule to ca. 2.5 cm. Inflorescence 3-18-fascicled racemes, 7-23 cm; bracts of inflorescence oblong to ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 1-3.5 × 0.5-1.5 cm. Pedicel 3-9 mm; floral bracts lanceolate, ovate, or oblong, 2-6 × 1-3 mm. Flowers yellow to deep yellow, mildly fragrant. Outer sepals triangular-ovate or ovate to suborbicular, 2-3.2 × 1-2.4 mm; median sepals ovate to oblong, 3.5-5.2 × 2-3.3 mm; inner sepals elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 5-7 × 2.6-3.5 mm. Petals elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 3.6-7 × 1.6-3.2 mm, base with glands distinct or sometimes indistinct, apex emarginate to narrowly clawed. Stamens 3.5-7 mm; anther connective prolonged, apiculate to rounded. Ovary 3.2-4 mm; ovules 2-6; style 0.7-1.5 mm. Berry bluish black, pruinose, oblong, 5-7 mm in diam. Fl. Jun-Jan, fr. Jan-Jul. 2n = 28.

Forests, forest margins, thickets; 1200-3000 m. S Sichuan, SE Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal; cultivated in Australia, S Europe, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and other parts of the world].