Image by Richard Gardner, Bugwood.org Article: Shaun Kittle, Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program

This shrub has bright red berries after the leaves have fallen from surrounding trees.

Japanese Barberry

Be on the Lookout

The bright red berries of this thorny shrub are especially striking this time of year, after the leaves have fallen from the surrounding trees. Once established, this invasive plant can quickly take over a forest understory, creating a monoculture that prevents native plant growth and provides safe harbor for mice, which can carry ticks with Lyme disease. Forests invaded with Japanese barberry have been documented to contain up to 10 times the quantity of Lyme-infected ticks as a similar uninvaded forest.

What you can do: Avoid planting Japanese barberry and hand-pull any occurrences of the plant on your property. If you think you spot Japanese barberry growing somewhere, report it on iMapinvasives.

Learn more about Japanese Barberry.

Last updated November 19, 2024