This Japanese native has naturalized through much of eastern North America, and is
considered an invasive by many. There are many cultivars available, with red, yellow, green, yellow-green and
variegated foliage.
Identification: Barberry is 3-6′ (91-182 cm) high. Stems are woody and grooved.
Leaves are bright green and spatula-shaped, much wider at the ends, about ¾″ (1.9 cm) long and ¼″ (6.3 mm) wide. In the
fall, the leaves orange, deep red, or purple in color. There are
¼″ (6.3 mm) thorns along the branches, which arch and overlap each other. Flowers are
about ¼″ (6.3 mm) around and yellow, distributed along branches.
Berries are bright red, with a distinctive oval shape, ¼-⅜″ (7-10 mm) long and 1/16-3/16″ (3-5 mm) in
diameter, distributed fairly evenly along branches.
The unusual shape of the berries is unique to barberries.
Edibility: Berries are edible, but not tasty and not used in cooking.
Other parts of the plant are mildly poisonous, due largely to the presence of berberine.
Below is a comparison of two common species of barberry:
9/30/2013 · Moose Point State Park, Searsport, Maine · ≈ 6 × 9″ (16 × 23 cm)
Bright green and spatula-shaped, much wider at the ends, about ¾″ (1.9 cm) long and ¼″ (6.3 mm) wide. In the fall, the leaves turn orange, deep red, or purple in color.
Oval, ¾-1¾″ (2-5 cm) × ⅜-¾″ (1-2 cm), finely toothed, in clusters that include a spine ⅛-¼″ (3-8 mm) long and 2-5 leaves.
Fruit
Berries are bright red, with a distinctive oval shape, ¼-⅜″ (7-10 mm) long and 1/16-3/16″ (3-5 mm) in diameter, distributed fairly evenly along branches.
Berries are bright red, with a distinctive oval shape, ¼-⅜″ (7-10 mm) long and 1/16-3/16″ (3-5 mm) in diameter, hanging in tight clusters.