New Search Printable Summary Slide Show Report Error

Scientific Name:
Berberis thunbergii
Pronunciation:
BUR-bur-iss THOON-burg-ee-eye
Common Name:
Japanese barberry
Family Name:
Berberidaceae
Plant Type:
Shrub - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Deciduous barberry 1-2m tall; leaves alternate, simple, clustered, most blades obovate to spatulate, 1.4-3(-5)cm long x 0.7-2.4cm wide, margins entire; florets yellow, about 1cm wide; berries red, ellipsoid, about 6-8mm long x 3-4mm wide. Winter ID: single spiny stipule 5-11mm long at each node (usually unbranched); buds globular, about 8-10mm wide, in tight clusters; leaf scars small, crecent shaped; persistent red oval berries.

Habit:
Dense, Spreading
Form:
Round
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
1.3 - 2.0m
Mature Spread:
1.5 - 2.0m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
S.E. Asia / Japan / China (Japan)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 4: (-34 to -29 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Rocky or gravelly or dry
Landscape Uses:
Accent plant, Group or mass planting, Hedge row, Security/barrier, Sheared hedge
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown or on campus may include : B. 'Golden Nugget' (light green dwarf) and several B. var. atropurpurea cultivars including B. 'Crimson Velvet', B. 'Golden Ring' (or B. 'Cherry Bomb'?), and B. 'Concorde'.

Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Leathery, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Summer:
Green, Green-yellow, Yellow, Dark-red
Colour in Fall:
Yellow, Red
Shapes:
Obovate, Spatulate
Apices:
Obtuse, Rounded
Bases:
Attenuate, Cuneate
Margins:
Entire
Additional Info:
Borne in alternate clusters along branches

Inflorescence Type:
Corymb
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
6
Corolla Shape:
Campanulate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Yellow, Red
Flower Time at Peak:
May, Jun
Additional Info:
For most red cultivars, the 6 sepals are (in part) dark red with 3 large and 3 smaller ones; 2 to 5 florets; umbel-like

Fruit Type:
Berry (true)
Fruit Colour:
Red
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Persistent

Bark Morphology:
Lightly fissured, Multi-stem trunk
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey, Brown
Leaf Bud Type:
Accessory (collateral), Ovoid
Leaf Scar Shape:
Round
Organ Modifications:
Stipule, pointy spines
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant, Rabbit resistant, Drought tolerant)

Course(s):
  • HORT 1155
  • Level 1 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
  • (BKW)  Boulevard Kwantlen Way : cvs. Cherry Bomb, Golden Nugget
  • (CGW)  Community Garden West : cv. Crimson Violet
  • (HPZ)  Horticulture PlaZa
  • (ONE)  Overpass North side East : cv. Concorde
  • (ONW)  Overpass North side West : cv. Rose Glow
Location Map