Berberis glaucocarpa
Environmental Weed (2024)
Common names
barberry
Biostatus
Exotic
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Flower colours
Red/Pink, Yellow
Detailed description
Glabrous, evergreen or semi-deciduous shrub to c. 7m high. Spines to 2.3 cm long, sometimes single, sometimes 3-partite. Lvs with short petiole to 5 mm long. Lamina up to 7.5 x 2.5 cm, oblanceolate but often very variable on one plant, spiny margins and shining above. Flowers yellow, sometimes with outer parts red-tinged, arranged in simple or compound racemes to 6 cm long. Berry 7-12mm long, broadly ellipsoid to subglobose, reddish black, with an obvious white bloom. Juice dark red with seed about 1mm long.
Similar taxa
The combination of large spiny leaves, and 3-partite spines to 2.5 cm long distinguish B. glauccarpa from other berberis species naturalised in New Zealand. It also grows to about 7 m which is much taller than the other species.
Habitat
Terrestrial.
Conservation status
Not applicable
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Berberidaceae
Ecology
Flowering
October, November
Fruiting
December, January, February
Year naturalised
1916
Origin
W Himalaya
Reason for introduction
Ornamental.
Tolerances
Thought not to be as shade tolerant as other Berberis species. Requires moderate fertility.
Life cycle
Perennial. Produces seed which is dispersed birds and vertebrates.
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
FACU: Facultative Upland
Occasionally is a hydrophyte but usually occurs in uplands (non-wetlands).
Other information
Etymology
berberis: From the Arabic name berberys
Environmental Weed (2024)
This plant is named in a list of 386 environmental weeds in New Zealand 2024 prepared by DOC. 759 candidate species were considered for inclusion on this new comprehensive list of environmental weeds in New Zealand. The species considered were drawn from published lists of weed species, lists of plants that must be reported or managed by law if observed, existing national and regional programmes and agreements for pest management, and species already managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Candidate species were then assessed to see if they were fully naturalised and whether they have more than minor impacts in natural ecosystems. Read the full report here.
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
BERGLA