Japanese barberry is a high-maintenance, woody, deciduous shrub in the barberry family (Berberidaceae). It is native to Japan and an invasive species in North Carolina. The thorny-stemmed shrub grows 3 to 6 feet tall and 4 to 7 feet wide in a dense, rounded form. It alters the soil pH which may cause damage to surrounding plants. It spreads by root suckers and colonizes to form thickets, which may outcompete nearby plants. Birds eating the berries contribute to spreading the seeds far and wide, compounding barberry’s invasiveness in North Carolina. While this species is not recommended, there are cultivars that perform well in the landscape without being invasive. The WorryFreeⓇ group and the Sunjoy cultivars (developed by NC State) are sterile cultivars. Additional suggestions of native or less problematic plants appear to the left. Quick ID Hints : Stems with only a single spine at each node. Fruit bright red berry, often persisting in winter. Red- and green-leafed varieties. Leaves deciduous, obovate to spatulate, entire. Insect, Diseases and Other Plant Problems : Japanese barberry appears on the NC Invasive Plant Council’s list. Anthracnose, root rot, bacterial leaf spot, wilt, Indian wax scale, two-banded Japanese weevil, barberry webworm and aphids are some problems that may damage barberry. More information on Berberis .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry | Very Dry
Available space
3 feet-6 feet; 6-feet-12 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in. | Width: 4 ft. 0 in. - 7 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Oval; Rounded
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green; Purple/Lavender; Variegated
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Oblong; Obovate; Spatulate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
This plant has alternate, simple, and bright green leaves that are 0.5 to 1.3 in. long. Growing in the spine axil, the leaves are narrow at the base. The leaves have bright red to orange fall color. Other colors that the leave may be are foliage green, variegated, reddish-purple, and yellowish. Clustered on dwarf shoots, the leaves are obovate to spatulate-oblong in shape with entire margins.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow; Orange; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Raceme; Umbel
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
This plant has 0.3- to 0.5-in., pale yellow flowers in late spring (April to May) that are often hidden under the foliage growing in racemes. The drooping inflorescence has a subumbellate arrangement, is grouped in sets of 2-5, is weakly fetid, and has pedicels.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit value
Long-lasting; Showy
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
This plant has 0.3"-1", bright, ellipsoidal and glossy red berries in the fall, persisting into winter
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Numerous angular dark brown stems with slightly curved spines. Older stems are gray and twigs and young stems turn reddish brown in winter. Inner bark yellow.
Aphids on Ornamental Landscape Plants; Soft Scale Identification and Management on Ornamental Plants; Indian Wax Scale Insect; Twobanded Japanese Weevil
Problems
Invasive Species; Problem for Children; Spines/Thorns; Weedy