Preferred habitat: It is found along roadsides, fences, old
fields and open woods.
Seasonal cycle: Japanese barberry flowers in May and the
fruits hang from the shrubs during the fall and into the winter. In autumn, the leaves of
Japanese barberry turn varying shades of orange, red, and crimson. The woody stems of this
shrub persist through the winter. Reproduction may be primarily through seeds, although
there are reports of sprouting from roots remaining in the ground.
Distribution: Japanese barberry is native to Asia. Its
range in North America extends from Nova Scotia south to North Carolina, and west to
Montana.
Other points of interest: Japanese barberry was
discovered in the mountains of Japan and sent to St. Petersburg Botanic Gardens by the
Russian botanist Carl Maximowicz in 1864. About 1875, seeds from St. Petersburg were
received at the Arnold Arboretum in Massachusetts and, from there, introduced to North
America. Japanese barberry has been extremely popular for ornamental hedges because of its
scarlet fruit, fall leaf color, and ease of cultivation. As its fruits are often eaten by
birds, the plant has easily naturalized.
Common barberry (Berberis vulgaris) is another invasive plant
that is less common than Japanese barberry in Connecticut. Similar in general appearance
to Japanese barberry, common barberry has toothed leaves and spines that are double-or
triple-branched,
Control: Mechanical removal of the plant is recommended
because it is effective and minimally intrusive. In early spring, this is one of the first
plants to leaf out and can be distinguished easily from other shrubby vegetation. The use
of a hoe, weed wrench or mattock is suggested to uproot the entire bush and associated
roots; gloves will help protect hands from the spines. The uprooted shrubs can be piled as
cover for small animals. Plants growing in rock piles, which are difficult to dig out, can
be treated with the herbicide glyphosate. Because it is a non-selective herbicide, great
care must be taken when using it in order not to harm native plants.
Additional information sources:
Plants invasive in Rhode Island. L.L. Gould and I. H. Stuckey. The Rhode Island Wild Plant
Society.
Gray's Manual of Botany. Eighth edition, corrected printing.
M. Fernald. D. Van Nostrand Company, New York, 1970.
The Barberry Family. American Horticulturist 64: April
1985.
The New Britton and Brown Illusrrated Flora of the
Northeastern United Stares and Adjacent Canada. fifth printing. H. Gleason. Haffner Press,
New York, 1974.
Diagnostic information: Leaves: abovate to spatulate,
usually obtuse, entire, narrowed at base to a short petiole, about 1/2" long in
whorls or clusters. Leaves of the shoots metamorphosed into simple spines, bearing
fascicles of small foliage leaves in their axles, Stems: woody, slender, with straight
single spines; yellow wood and inner bark. Flowers: yellow, 1/4" wide, in elongate
racemes, contracted umbel-like clusters, or sometimes solitary. Petals six, usually
smaller than the sepals and with two glands at the base of each. Fruit: berries ellipsoid,
scarlet, 1/2" long.
This fact sheet has been prepared by The
Nature Conservancy Connecticut Chapter.
