BARBERRY: the berry of a shrub of prickly character, growing from four to nine feet in height, which in various types is found wild in nearly every temperate country. In the United States, it is particularly abundant in New England. The fruit, of bright red color, ripens in October and November. It is too acid to be generally acceptable for eating raw, but it makes excellent preserves, jams, etc., and as such is very wholesome. The young leaves are of a bitter but pleasing flavor and are sometimes used as a salad and for garnishing. The famous French jam known as "Confiture d'epine vinette" is manufactured, principally in Rouen, from the Seedless Barberry. Barberries are also used in France for the manufacture of malic acid. On analysis they show in addition a small percentage of citric acid.