Paleleaf barberry is an evergreen shrub in the barberry family (Berberidaceae) native to China. The common name refers to the silver-white bloom on the underside of the leaves. The shrub grows 2 to 4 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide in a dense rounded form with stiff, arching branches. It spreads by suckers forming colonies. It prefers full sun to partial shade in moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soils. In temperatures of -10 10°F or less, it will drop leaves. The cup-shaped yellow solitary flowers appear in spring and are followed by purple round fruits in the summer to fall. The leaves are dark shiny green above and have a silvery white bloom on the undersides. Both the leaves and stems have spines. Use the shrub as a low hedge or in borders. Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: Leaf spots, rust, and leaf scorch from sun/wind. Chlorosis on high pH soils; leaves can look burned but stems will regrow leaves next spring. 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
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Arching; Dense; Mounding; Multi-stemmed
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Gray/Silver; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Oblong; Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Glossy; Leathery; Smooth
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The leaves are alternate, simple, lustrous, and dark green and 1 to 2 inches long with leathery, spiny margins. The edges of the leaf are recurved under and may develop a red tinge in winter. The undersides have a silvery white bloom. Leaves occur in clusters on small spurs along the stem.
Fall color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower form
Solitary
Flower shape
Cup
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
This plant has 1/2 inch bright yellow flowers on a 1.2-inch-long pedicle in late spring. Flowers are solitary with 3 sepals in 3 whorls; outer sepals yellowish red, median sepals oblong-obovate, inner sepals obovate.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Purple/Lavender
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
This plant has 1/2 inch purplish berries in early fall.
Stem color
Cream/Tan
Stem detail
Spiny stems are gray-brown, verruscular; young shoots pale green.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Central China
Attracts
Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Berry
Edibility
Not poisonous, but berries contain berberine that can cause stomach upset, especially with children.
Landscape Use
Landscape theme
Winter Garden
Design feature
Border; Hedge; Mass Planting; Security
Garden tags
#evergreen #transplant #purple #yellow flowers #summer flowers #full sun tolerant #deer resistant #shrub #easy to transplant #fruits fall #groundcover #fall interest #slow growing #flowers early summer #spines #partial shade tolerant #purple fruits #border planting #pruning tolerant #security plant #showy fruits #hedge #winter garden #poisonous if ingested
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Aphids on Ornamental Landscape Plants; Whiteflies Found on Flowers and Foliage
Problems
Poisonous to Humans; Problem for Children; Spines/Thorns
Resistant to
Deer
Particularly resistant to
seldom damaged by deer.
Propagation
Root Cutting; Seed; Stem Cutting
Poison severity
Low
Poison parts
Bark; Leaves; Roots; Sap/Juice
Poison symptoms
Ingestion of the toxic parts can cause stomach upset, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.