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| Characters | Berberis aristata | Berberis asiatica | Berberis chitria | Berberis lycium |
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| Macroscopic | Outer surface of bark, creamish brown, inner surface yellowish brown, knotty, thin, and brittle.
Cut surface light yellow.
Fracture hard and bitter in taste | Outer surface of bark grayish brown and friable, fine longitudinal ridges and small warts, inner surface dark brown.
Fine longitudinal ridges and small warts below the bark surface leaving dark brown.
Cut surface yellowish cream.
Fracture very hard and very bitter in taste | Outer surface light brown, split longitudinally, warts comparatively large in size. Whole bark pealed off leaving coffee brown almost smooth inner surface.
Cut surface light yellow.
Fracture hard and bitter in taste | Outer surface grayish brown with shining. Bark easily detachable, thin, brittle, and twisted.
Cut surface canary yellow.
Fracture hard and bitter in taste |
| Cork cells | Brown, 15–25 layered | Brown, 08–10 layered | Dark brown, 8–15 layered | Dark brown, 7–19 layered |
| Cork Cambium | 2 or 3 layered | 1 or 2 layered | 1 or 2 layered | 2 or 3 layered |
| Cortical zone | 20–25 layered, outer 4 to 6 layers compressed, devoid of stone cells | 16–18 layered | 20–24 layered | 20–26 layered |
| Sclereids | Solitary or in group of 2 to 10 | Sometimes solitary but in group of 2 to 4, comparatively more than other three species | Solitary | Scattered or sometimes in linear groups |
| Pericyclic fibres | Mostly solitary but sometimes in groups of 2 to 10 | Interrupted with stone cells | Frequently present comparatively lesser than B. aristata and B. asiatica | Frequently present comparatively lesser than other three species. |
| Vessels | In group of 2 to 3 or solitary | Solitary or in group of 2 to 4 | Mostly in group of 2 to 3 or solitary | Solitary or in group of 3 or 4 |
| Medullary Rays | 2 to 4 cells broad | 2 to 5 cells broad | 2 to 4 cells broad | 1 to 3 cells broad |
| Pith | Present | Present | Present | Present |
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