Japanese Barberry
Berberis thunbergii
Found in rich forests, old fields. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you
-55
Severe harm
Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 76%
- Height
- 3–6 feet
- Spread
- 4–7 feet
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Dry to moist
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Do not plant. Listed invasive in Virginia.
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At a glance
- Life cycle
- Woody perennial
- Leaves
- Deciduous
- Bloom
- March to April
- Fruiting season
- May to September
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Recorded in 61 Virginia counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
1 of 2
Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground
Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 114 animals.
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
- Scarlet TanagerPiranga olivacea
- Swainson's WarblerLimnothlypis swainsonii
- White-eyed VireoVireo griseus
- White-winged CrossbillLoxia leucoptera
- Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticorax
- Blue-winged WarblerVermivora pinus
- Brown-headed NuthatchSitta pusilla
- Chestnut-sided WarblerDendroica pensylvanica
- Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
- Kentucky WarblerOporornis formosus
- Louisiana WaterthrushSeiurus motacilla
- Magnolia WarblerDendroica magnolia
- Pine WarblerDendroica pinus
- Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostra
- Rusty BlackbirdEuphagus carolinus
- White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
- Yellow-throated WarblerDendroica dominica
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
12CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA
Genus host records with ranges including VA · Berberis
- Bleptina caradrinalisBent-Winged Owlet, Variable Snout
- Callosamia prometheaPromethea Silkmoth, Promethea Moth
- Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
- Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
- Malacosoma americanaEastern Tent Caterpillar
- Omphalocera cariosaMoonseed Webworm
- Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
- Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
- Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
- Rheumaptera meadiiBarberry Geometer, Barberry Looper
Show all 12
- Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
- Triphosa haesitataTissue Moth, Brown Tissue
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
3BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Berberis
- Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
- Perdix perdixGray Partridge
- Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Berberidaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 4a–8b
- Flower color
- Yellow
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Growth habit
- Several stems
- Foliage color
- Dark green
- Fruit begins
- May
- Fruit ends
- September
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “March to April” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “Yellow” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Foliage color · “Dark green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit begins · “May” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Fruit ends · “September” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Growth habit · “Several stems” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Hardiness · “Zones 4a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “3–6 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Minnesota Wildflowers differ)
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- primary_flower_color · “yellow” · USDA PLANTS
- Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry; Very dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “4–7 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Conservation status
| Virginia rank | SNA |
|---|---|
| Global rank | GNR |
| VA status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Sources
- Virginia DCR invasive plant list
- Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora
- USDA PLANTS
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition
- NatureServe Explorer
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications