Japanese Barberry

Berberidaceae

LIFE FORM: Shrub

NATIVITY: Japan

VEGETATIVE CHARACTERISTICS:

Stems with small, ovate leaves about half an inch long, stems covered with thin, sharp spines; roots are bright yellow.

FLOWERS:

Yellow flowers in April-May.

FRUIT/DISPERSAL AGENTS:

Showy red fruits are produced in fall and persist into winter, dispersed by birds; stems take root where they touch the ground.

ECOLOGICAL PREFERENCE:

Highly adaptable shrub that is tolerant of poor soil and full sun planting islands in parking lots. Prefers neglected residential and commercial landscapes; minimally maintained public parks and open space; woodlands that develop on abandoned open space; chain-link fences.

ENVIRONMENTAL FUNCTION:

Persists indefinitely under low light (woodland) conditions; salt tolerance along roadways; drought tolerance on compacted soils; food and/or habitat for wildlife; erosion control on slopes.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:

Cultivars of this species with colored foliage are popular landscape plants; introduced into North America as an ornamental in 1875. Invasive species in minimally managed habitats.