View photos of the edible and medicinal plant, Berberis haematocarpa (Red barberry), profiled in Medicinal Plants of the American Southwest and the Wild Edible Series: Arizona, New Mexico, and Sonoran.

A passage from Medicinal Plants of the American Southwest:

Berberis haematocarpa is a large many–branched shrub obtaining 12’ in height. Each leaf is comprised of 3–7 lanceolate leaflets with 1 terminating the group. Flowers are yellow and 6–petaled. At maturity, the berries are pea–sized, red, and juicy.

A passage from Wild Edible Plants of Arizona:

The two species are not easy to tell apart. Berberis fremontii’s terminal leaflet is wider then B. haematocarpa’s elongated leaflet. Other characteristics (and edibility) are basically identical.

A passage from Wild Edible Plants of New Mexico:

A summertime berry, Hollygrape’s fruit are edible raw. They are a unique combination of sweet, tart, and slightly bitter – not at all unpleasant.

A passage from Sonoran Desert Food Plants:

Most American Indians in the area utilized the berries
as a seasonal–supplemental food.