Plant is about H 2m. { H 6'} with blue berries in June. Descriptions read B. darwinii as having orange flowers, so not sure if there is also a yellow flowered form or could it be a hybrid ? Thanks for your time.
I'd say that's within the range of variation in flower colour of B. darwinii. The leaves do look a bit short/broad and rather over-prominently 3-lobed, though, so a hybrid is possible.
Maybe at UBC or other local institution you can use a key and/or manual with technical description to make certain.
For color comparison purposes, here is a photo of B. darwinii growing in my garden. Sorry for the poor quality - the wind was blowing.
Much appreciated everybody, didn't realize the leaves could be so variable and noticing a little variation on the plants leaves here now. A few plants grown from seed , labeled B. darwinii, and no significant differences noticed between them yet, to me. Similar flower colouring among the plants, also.
Pretty common hybrid is Berberis 'William Penn'. Leaves are a little broader than darwiniii, flowers more golden, but could eventually reach that size.
That one is quite dissimilar, actually, with bigger spines and leaves both much bigger and of a different shape, and flowers borne subordinately to the leaves, without the conspicuous bunches borne above the leaves that Darwin barberry produces as part of its annual show. http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=berberis+william+penn&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi If this isn't a Darwin barberry it will then, in fact be a hybrid of it or some less familiar closely related species. http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/beda5.htm