Japanese barberry Berberidaceae Berberis thunbergii DC. symbol: BETH Leaf: Alternate, simple, entire margin, spatulate or obovate, 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches long, bright green above, paler and somewhat glaucous below. Flower: Pale yellow, 1/3 inch across, usually in small clusters, appearing in April to May. Fruit: Shiny red, egg-shaped berry, 1/3 inch long, ripening in the fall and persisting into the next spring. Twig: Slender, angled or grooved and zigzagged, brown, buds small, thorns at each node, yellow inner bark. Bark: Gray-brown, finely shreddy. Form: Small bush with a round dense crown, reaching several feet tall. Looks like: American barberry Additional Range Information: Berberis thunbergii is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and may seed into the landscape. See states reporting Japanese barberry. External Links: USDA Plants Database Horticulture © Copyright 2016, Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, all rights reserved. Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson