Wintergreen barberry is a very cold-hardy evergreen barberry in the Berberidaceae family native to central China that is fast-growing and can form thickets. In 1900, it was introduced into cultivation in the United Kingdom and has since escaped cultivation, becoming invasive in several eastern states. The specific epitaph was named by Camillo (Karl) Schneider after his wife. The shrub grows 6 to 10 feet tall and prefers moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soils in full sun to partial shade. It is drought, deer and urban tolerant. Prune as needed to shape. Propagation is by stem cuttings and seed. In spring, the fragrant yellow flowers appear in clusters and are followed by purplish-black berries. The large leaves are spiny and the branches are armed with three large spines at the nodes. They may have some bronze fall color. This shrub is often used as a barrier due to the large spines. Please consider native shrubs and see some alternatives listed to the left. Quick ID Hints : Leaves evergreen and in clusters on short shoots Leaves coriaceous, concolorous and sharply serrate Stems with 3 spines at each node Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. VIDEO created by Ryan Contreras for “Landscape Plant Materials I: Deciduous Hardwoods and Conifers or Landscape Plant Materials II: Spring Flowering Trees and Shrubs” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Horticulture at Oregon State University 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; Sand
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
6-feet-12 feet
Mature size
Height: 6 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in. | Width: 4 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Mounding; Open; Rounded
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Lanceolate; Oblanceolate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf value
Long-lasting; Showy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
This plant has alternate, simple, lustrous, and dark green leaves. They are 2-3" long, spiny, and serrated with a copper fall color. Narrow-elliptic to lanceolate or oblanceolate, clustered on dwarf shoots in spine axil, coriaceous, concolorous above and beneath. There are multiple leaves (3-5) per node.
Fall color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Cup
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Small, yellow, fragrant flowers in spring in clusters of up to 25. Flowers may be red-tinted and are on long petioles.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Black; Blue
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit size
< 1 inch long
Fruit detail
.3-in., oval, bluish-black fruit that persists into fall.
Bark color
Dark Brown
Bark detail
Yellow-brown bark
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Gold/Yellow
Stem detail
Angular, yellowish when young, yellow-gray or yellow-brown 2nd year, bearing 3-parted spines.