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Family: Berberidaceae (Barberry family)
Mid-Atlantic bloom time:
March - April
Mid-Atlantic fruit ripe:
May - September
While Japanese Barberry's bright red fruits might look cheerful in winter, its actually a nasty little non-native shrub. Because of its dense, compact form and sharp spines, it provides a safe haven for mice carrying deer ticks infected with Lyme disease. Its leaves are smooth (entire) and it has mostly single thorns. These traits allow it to be readily distinguised from the native American Barberry (Berberis canadensis) which has bristly serrate leaves and mostly trifurcate thorns. Japanese Barberry fruits persist through winter unless eaten by wildlife.
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3 December 2015
Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA 
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21 October 2022
Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA 
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21 October 2022
Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA (note single spine at leaf axis) 
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21 October 2022
Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA 
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