Berberis vulgaris
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- BUR-bur-is vul-GAIR-iss
- Description
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This European barberry is a broad deciduous shrub that has become naturalized in the United States, to the extent that it has become quite weedy. It is in leaf from early spring to late fall and the seeds ripen from in the fall. The tiny yellow flowers appear in late spring to early summer and have an unpleasant odor. It has three-parted spines at the base of the leaves. European barberry can be grown as a medium-size hedge, but tit does not tolerate extreme maritime exposure.
The plant is often found growing in woodland, as a hedge, or along roadsides. It prefers a sunny position in moist loamy soils, but can grow in heavy clay and nutritionally poor soils. It also tolerates semi-shade (light woodland) and dry or moist soil, but requires moist soil when grown in shade of trees. European barberry is very tolerant of pruning.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems:
It is listed as an invasive plant in several regions of the United States. It is a host plant for wheat rust. As the most important alternate host of this fungus, it has been the subject of vigorous eradication programs, and it is now infrequent or absent in many areas where it was once frequent
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.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Plant Walls and Hedges
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Berberis
- Species:
- vulgaris
- Family:
- Berberaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Flowers are used as a dye.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Centrall and Southern Europe to Iran
- Distribution:
- Naturalized in Northern Europe, Canada, and United States south to North Carolina.
- Wildlife Value:
- Fruits are eaten and spread by birds and small mammals.
- Play Value:
- Wildlife Food Source
- Edibility:
- Not poisonous, but berries contain berberine that can cause stomach upset, especially with children.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Edible
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Arching
- Broad
- Erect
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- High
- Texture:
- Coarse
- Appendage:
- Spines
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Cultural Conditions:
- 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:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Red/Burgundy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Red ellipsoids 1/3 of an inch with 1 to 3 small black seeds. Berries red or purple, juicy and solid
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Raceme
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Petals:
- Bracts
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Tiny yellow flowers in late spring to early summer with an unpleasant fragrance. Inflorescences racemose with 10 to 20 flowers.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Smooth
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Long-lasting
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Oblanceolate
- Obovate
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- Oval, 1 to 2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide with serrate margins, clustered in groups of 2 to 5. Leaves simple, obovate to oblanceolate or almost elliptic, 1-veined from base, thin and flexible, margins plane, finely serrate and tipped with spines or bristles. Surfaces are smooth.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Light Gray
- Bark Description:
- Bark of 2d-year stems gray, glabrous.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- Stems dimorphic, with long primary and short axillary shoots.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Walkways
- Woodland
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Hedge
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Dry Soil
- Poor Soil
- Problems:
- Spines/Thorns
- Weedy