Mexican Barberry is an evergreen perennial shrub native to Mexico in the barberry family (Berberidaceae). The plant grows 6 to 10 feet tall and 4 to 8 feet wide in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average well-drained soils and is drought-tolerant once established. It will spread by forming suckers and can also be propagated by seed. The yellow flowers appear in clusters from fall through winter, providing 4 seasons of interest. The leathery glossy evergreen leaves are attractive all season. Edible purple-blue berries follow flowering. Use this shrub as a hedge or in a drought-tolerant garden. It is bee and bird friendly. Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: Leaf spots, rust, and leaf scorch from sun/wind. Chlorosis on high pH soils. Barberry webworm, aphids, and scale can occasionally be problems. 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.