Identification of Barberry

Size and Form

• The width of a Japanese barberry typically is a bit larger than the shrub's height. Most barberries grow between 3 and 6 feet tall, with widths from 4 to 7 feet. The barberry is a deciduous species, losing foliage as winter approaches and growing it back in spring. Barberry features a dense assortment of twigs, has multiple stems rising from its root system and possesses a rounded appearance when mature.

Barberry Foliage

• The leaves on the stems of a Japanese barberry shrub grow in what the University of Washington Clark County Extension calls a zigzag pattern. The leaves are oval to oblong in shape, emerging in the first few weeks of spring to be between ½ inch to 1 ¼ inches long. In many instances, barberry shrubs, having escaped cultivation and growing in the woods, are the first plants to bring color to an area after a long winter. The leaves are bright shades of green, turning attractive hues such as red, purple and orange in autumn.

More Identifiable Barberry Characteristics

• Sharp spines occurring all along the stems of a barberry, developing to ½ inch in length, make this a great candidate as a barrier plant. The Missouri Botanical Garden notes these thorny stems often catch onto and hold trash such as plastic bags blown about by the breezes. The flowers of a barberry open in April. They are yellow and small, yielding a berry that does not become a brilliant red color until October. The berries, shaped like tiny eggs, are 1/3 of an inch long and they remain on the barberry into winter, providing sustenance for song birds.

Cultivar Recognition

• Many cultivars exist of Japanese barberry, each designed with certain ornamental features. "Aurea" possesses bold yellow foliage and does not produce as much fruit as the parent species. "Bogazam" is another barberry with golden leaves, but it grows only to about 16 inches high. "Crimson Pygmy," described by the University of Connecticut Plant Database as one of the most common and well-known barberry cultivar, is between 12 and 24 inches high, with bright red foliage. "Helmond Pillar" has a narrow fastigiated form, achieving heights of 8 feet but being just 2 feet wide at most. "Thornless" lacks thorns and spines and its leaves turn orange to red in the fall.