'Aurea' is a golden-leaved deciduous cultivar of the Japanese barberry in the Berberidaceae family. The parent is native to Asia and is considered invasive in some parts of the eastern USA, including North Carolina. 'Aurea' grows 3 to 4 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide in a dense, rounded form. It will grow in full sun to partial shade, but the best leaf color is in full sun. It will tolerate most soils except poorly drained ones. It is deer and drought tolerant with few problems. It spreads by runners, layering and seeds, so it can be a little aggressive in the garden. The yellow flowers form in spring in short clusters, are somewhat inconspicuous and are followed by bright red berries in fall. The yellow leaves hold their color well in full sun and the branches have spines. Although this shrub produces fewer viable seeds than its parent, it is not sterile and can still spread outside the garden. Please consider using native or less aggressive plants instead. See alternatives to the left. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. Having spines on its stems could be an issue for children but also for wind blown trash getting caught on the spines. Anthracnose, root rot, bacterial leaf spot, wilt, scale, barberry webworm, and aphids are potential problems. VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee. More information on Berberis thunbergii .
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.
Often confused withBerberis thunbergii Sunjoy® Group
Similar, less problematicAbelia x grandiflora 'Sunrise'Berberis thunbergii Sunjoy® GroupBerberis thunbergii WorryFree® GroupIllicium parviflorum 'Florida Sunshine'
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Perennial; Poisonous; Shrub
Life cycle
Woody
USDA zones
4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b
Light
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
Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Multi-stemmed; Rounded; Spreading
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Oblong; Obovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Yellow leaves are up to 1.25 inches long and retain their color if given enough sun. Fall colors are red and orange. Simple leaves with entire margins that grow in clusters.
Fall color
Orange; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower form
Insignificant; Raceme
Flower shape
Cup
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Non-showy 1/2 inch pale yellow flowers bloom from late April to early May in short racemes along the stems.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Bright red fruits in the fall. Few viable seeds but not sterile
Stem color
Brown/Copper
Stem detail
Stems are angular and dark brown, bearing single spines.