American barberry is a native, medium-sized, deciduous shrub in the Berberidaceae family found in nature on rocky slopes of hills and mountains and near streams and woodlands. While relatively rare, it can be found in the mountains and Piedmont areas of North Carolina. Berberis is a Latinized form of the Arabian name for barberry. Canadensis means "from Canada." American barberry is an upright plant, sparingly, but multi-branched with long branches and short lateral branchlets. It often suckers and forms colonies. It is a hardy plant that tolerates poor and clay soils with a higher pH and dry to moist conditions. It will grow 3 to 6 feet tall in full sun to partial shade. The shrub blooms in spring with dangling clusters of small yellow flowers. The leaves are green and leathery with spiny margins. The stems have a group of three spines at the nodes. In fall, the oblong edible tart red fruits appear and attract birds. Use this shrub as a hedge, for security or in borders. Use in the native and pollinator/bird-friendly gardens. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: This species is an alternate host for Puccinia graminis , which causes stem rust of wheat, barley, oats, and other cereal crops. Watch for leaf spots, powdery mildew, and rusts. Watch for aphids, scale, and whiteflies. VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee. More information on Berberis .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Arching; Multi-stemmed
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Ovate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf feel
Prickly
Leaf size
1-3 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Bright green, simple, ovate to elliptical with bristly toothed margins. One to nine bristles per leaf. The leaves are clustered at the ends of short spur branches. The leaf arrangement is alternate, though appearing whorled.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower form
Raceme
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Blossoms in April and May. Inflorescences are dangling racemes 1 to 1.5 inches long with 6- 15 flowers. Individual flowers are 1/3 inch across.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit value
Edible; Showy
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Small oblong red berries with a tart flavor.
Bark color
Dark Brown; White
Bark detail
Striped dark brown with pale white banding. May become finely shredded.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Spines are three-parted and found just below the buds. Stems are reddish brown, warty and slightly zig-zag. Stems are dimorphic, with long primary shoots and short axillary shoots.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern North America
Distribution
AL , GA , IL , IN , KY , MD , MO , NC , PA , SC , TN , VA , WV