This thorny shrub is often planted as a hedgerow but has spread to forests, forest edges, fields, and disturbed areas. They have small, pale yellow flowers and red, oblong berries. Their simple, alternate leaves turn red in fall. Unlike common barberry, Japanese barberry has single thorns that alternate along their stems.

Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) is a thorny shrub often planted as a hedgerow, but it has spread to forests, forest edges, fields, and disturbed areas.

Unlike common barberry, Japanese barberry has single thorns that alternate along their stems.

Japanese barberry has small, pale yellow flowers and red, oblong berries. Their simple, alternate leaves turn red in fall.

• Invasive barberry are tied to increased invasive earthworm populations, which harm nutrient cycling in soils.
• They support three times more deer ticks than native plants.
• Their roots travel several feet from the parent shrub, allowing them to spread widely.

Remove mechanically after leaf-out in early spring.

Dispose of plants responsibly.

Japanese barberry is likely to re-sprout. Repeat the above methods as needed to eliminate plants from your property.

Consider replacing with native woody shrubs with distinct berries like common winterberry (Ilex verticillata) or nannyberry (Viburnum lentago)

Learn even more about Japanese barberry on the maine.gov website: Japanese barberry