Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)

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Berberis thunbergii DC.

Japanese barberry, Thunberg’s barberry, red barberry

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Magnoliidae	Includes magnolias, nutmeg, bay laurel, cinnamon, avocado, black pepper, and many others
Order	Ranunculales	Basal (evolved earlier) eudicots, also called “true dicots”
Family	Berberidaceae	Barberry family
Genus	Berberis	The Latinized form of the Arabic name for this fruit
Species	thunbergii	For Swedish naturalist Carl Peter Thundberg, apostle of Linnaeus

About plant names...

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)

10/3/2010 · Tarkill Interpretive Trail, Rte 402, Poconos, Peck’s Pond, Pennsylvania
≈ 14 × 9" (35 × 23 cm) ID is uncertain

9/22/2013 · Squannacook River Wildlife Management Area, off route 119, Townsend, Massachusetts
≈ 6 × 5" (14 × 12 cm)

	*Berberis koreana*	You are here Berberis thunbergii	*Berberis vulgaris*
Common Name	Korean barberry	Japanese barberry	common barberry
Plant		3-6' (91-182 cm) high. Stems are woody and grooved. There are ¼" (6.3 mm) thorns along the branches, which arch and overlap each other.	3-9½' (1-3 m) in height, with grooved stems. There are ¼" (6.3 mm) thorns along the branches.
Flowers		¼" (6.3 mm) around and yellow, *distributed along branches*.	Yellow, ⅛-³/₁₆" (4-6 mm) across, in panicles 1-2" (3-6 cm) long.
Leaves		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*.
Range/ Zones	USDA Zones: 4-8
Type	Wild	Wild	Wild
Occurrence		Common to invasive	Fairly common

Online References:

The University of Connecticut Plant Database

Wikipedia

Ohio State University

The Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

The Plant Conservation Alliance’s Alien Plant Working Group Least Wanted List

The USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

EFloras

9/3/2020 · Mitchell Field, Harpswell, Maine
≈ 6 × 4" (16 × 11 cm)

5/21/2023 · Merrymeeting Fields Preserve, Woolwich, Maine

9/22/2013 · Squannacook River Wildlife Management Area, off route 119, Townsend, Massachusetts
≈ 7 × 6" (17 × 15 cm)

9/30/2013 · Moose Point State Park, Searsport, Maine
≈ 8 × 6" (20 × 14 cm)

8/20/2009 · Hayes Woods Nature Trail, Shirley St., Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain

5/12/2021 · Weber-Kelly Preserve, Georgetown, Maine
≈ 10 × 6" (24 × 16 cm)

7/23/2017 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pennsylvania
≈ 5 × 8" (13 × 20 cm)

Berberis thunbergii DC. var. atropurpurea Chenault

Berberis thunbergii description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 26 Jul 2023.

4/21/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain

7/29/2023 · By Jacquelyn Boyt

10/23/2009 · Pearl Hill State Park, Townsend, Massachusetts
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain

5/1/2016 · Keyes Conservation Area, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 5 × 8" (13 × 20 cm)

7/27/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 15 × 10" (37 × 25 cm) ID is uncertain

8/20/2009 · Hayes Woods Nature Trail, Shirley St., Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain

10/3/2010 · Tarkill Interpretive Trail, Rte 402, Poconos, Peck’s Pond, Pennsylvania
≈ 14 × 9" (35 × 23 cm) ID is uncertain

10/23/2009 · Pearl Hill State Park, Townsend, Massachusetts
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9.2 cm) ID is uncertain

Range:

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