Common Barberry

Common barberry (Berberis glaucocarpa) has the potential to be become a significant weed in the Hakataramea Valley and surrounding districts if left uncontrolled.

This spiny evergreen shrub is a threat to extensive pastoral and conservation land as it tolerates hot to cool temperatures, dry to wet conditions and many soil types on recently cleared areas, open hill slopes, and more extensive ranges of farmland. Where establishment is successful, it develops thick colonies which can grow more rapidly than native species, dominating the landscape.

Characterised by leathery leaves, branched thorns and yellow-wooded stems, this shrub can be further distinguished with clumps of hanging yellow flowers with a pungent smell in spring. In autumn Barberry displays distinctive oval purple-black berries which often have a bluish-white tinge.

Birds eating the berries are the main source of seed dispersal and can quickly create new satellite populations that establish some distance from the source, with additional spread occurring with movement of soil and water. Livestock don’t readily graze young plants, so control needs to be accurate and regular to prevent colonisation and/or spread.

More information, including suggested management and control, can be found on the Environment Canterbury Pest Search site.

Common Barberry (photo credit: weedbusters.org.nz)