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