Berberis thunbergii DC. (ITIS)
Japanese barberry
Japan (Zouhar 2008)
1875 (DeGasperis et al. 2007)
Introduced as an ornamental and promoted as a replacement for common barberry (Berberis vulgaris), which is a host for black stem rust (Zouhar 2008)
Forms dense stands that compete with native trees and herbaceous plants (Ward et al. 2009)
Eastern and Midwestern U.S.
![Japanese barberry - Invasive.org](/sites/default/files/styles/extra_large/public/media/image/japanese-barberry-5421937.jpg?itok=LGMyeMLr)
Japanese barberry, foliage in April
Photo by James H. Miller; USDA, Forest Service
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DeGasperis, B.G., and G. Motzkin. 2007. Windows of opportunity: historical and ecological controls on Berberis thunbergii invasions. Ecology 88(12):3115-3125.
Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Berberis thunbergii. [Accessed Sep 16, 2023].
Ward, J.S., T.E. Worthley, and S.C. Williams. 2009. Controlling Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii DC) in southern New England, USA. Forest Ecology and Management 257(2): 561-566.
Zouhar, K. 2008. Berberis thunbergii. In: Fire Effects Information System. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.