 First collected in China (Anhui) by Robert Fortune, the plants were taken to Shanghai, where they were lodged in the garden of Mr Beale to await transportation to Europe.Fortune named the species after Beale in an issue of the "Gardeners' Chronicle" and was sure it was a distinct species, separate from "Mahonia japonica".However, Chronicle editor John Lindley, was unconvinced and repeatedly referred to the new species as "Berberis" ("Mahonia") "japonica".