An Illustrated Guide to
Common Weeds
of New Zealand

Berberis glaucocarpa
barberry

Family BERBERIDACEAE

Reproduced from
Common Weeds of New Zealand
by Bruce Roy, Ian Popay, Paul Champion, Trevor James & Anis Rahman
ISBN 0 473 09760 5
by kind permission of the
New Zealand Plant Protection Society

Publication or other use of images or descriptive text on these pages is unauthorised unless written permission is obtained from the authors and publisher. Appropriate acknowledgement of the publication Common Weeds of New Zealand must always be given.

Available from Manaaki-Whenua Press and Touchwood Books

Spiny, woody, evergreen or semi-deciduous shrub often 2-3 m tall, sometimes used as a hedge plant. Characterised by its very sharp spines that are single or divided into three. Small yellow flowers followed by small purple berries covered in a white bloom.

• Flowers Petals and sepals yellow, flowers 5-7 mm in diameter, with an unpleasant smell. In many-flowered drooping simple or compound inflorescences up to 6 cm long. Flowers Oct-Nov.
• Fruit Small, purplish, oblong berries, 7-12 mm long, with a white bloom. Seeds are dispersed by birds.
• Leaves Elliptical to ovate, up to 7.5 cm long by 2.5 cm wide and often spiny-toothed.
• Stems The main stems have yellowish-grey bark and very sharp, single or three-pronged thorns, up to 2 cm long, in the leaf axils.

Habitat

Waste places, reverting hill country, scrub, forest margins and former house sites.

Distribution

Locally common in some higher rainfall lowland areas in NI and the northern half of SI. Originally from the western Himalayas.

Comments

Planted as a hedge in many parts of NZ, and has spread out of control in many areas, especially on broken or hilly ground where control is difficult and intense stock grazing (for controlling seedlings) is harder to achieve. Barberry is subject to Pest Plant Management Strategies in several regions of NZ. Details are available from the regional councils or unitary authorities.

Related species

Darwin's barberry (Berberis darwinii) is an evergreen shrub up to 4 m tall, with attractive, deep orange flowers in simple drooping racemes up to 7 cm long and dark purple berries with a bluish-white bloom. The small, shiny dark green holly-like leaves alternate in clusters of three to five, together with five-pronged, needle-sharp spines. This species flowers Jan-Dec, and is found in scrub, forest and plantation margins, road-sides, being locally common in Wellington and Wairarapa in NI and very common from central Canterbury to Southland in SI and Stewart Island. Listed on the National Pest Plant Accord (see Introduction for details). European barberry (Berberis vulgaris) occurs around old homesteads and in some plantations, in inland Canterbury and Otago. It is a deciduous shrub up to 2 m high, losing its leaves in winter, and with oblong, red fruits.

Derivation of botanical name

Berberis (from the Arabic) = barberry; glaucocarpa (Lat.) = fruit with a bloom.

Biosecurity NZ have a page on Berberis darwinii (a National Pest Plant Accord plant), and B. glaucocarpa (a Regionally Banned plant) NZ Landcare Trust have a web page featuring Berberis glaucocarpa and B. darwinii The Christchurch City Council have a web page featuring Berberis glaucocarpa

Web-notes: Weed Links

On this site

Reproduced from Common Weeds of New Zealand:

• Some Useful Books
• Browse index of Common and Scientific Names
• Image Gallery of Weeds
  
  

External Links

Weedbusters New Zealand

Weedbusters is a weeds awareness and education programme that aims to protect New Zealand's environment from the increasing weed problem.

New Zealand Plant Conservation Network Weeds Fact Sheets

Search for 1500 weed fact sheets mainly derived from the Department of Conservation's BIOWEB weeds database.

New Zealand Plant Protection Society

Their main objective: "To pool and exchange information on the biology of weeds, invertebrate and vertebrate pests, pathogens and beneficial organisms and methods for modifying their effects."

 

New Zealand Landcare Trust

Plant Pest information including Pictures, Distribution Maps, References, Environmental Effects and Control.

 

New Zealand Aquatic Weeds

Hosted by the weed management group of NIWA (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research).

 

Weed Control Manual for the Bay of Plenty

Weeds information compiled by Environment Bay of Plenty.

 

Massey University Weeds Database

A site providing information about New Zealand weeds and weed control. It has a series of pages showing pictures of New Zealand weeds, notes on identification and control. It also provides information on a university paper entitled Controlling Weeds.

 

Canterbury Weed Guide

A weed identification guide prepared by the Christchurch City Council.

---

Australian Plants as Weeds

Part of the Association of Societies for Growing Australian Plants website.

Department of Agriculture Western Australia

Collection of weed resources from the Department of Agriculture, Government of Western Australia

Weed Society of Victoria

Promoting wider awareness and interest in weeds and their management. Includes a useful page of links to other weed societies.

 

Tamar Valley Weeds Strategy

Listing of common and botanical names, images, and information including control methods for weeds found in Tasmania, and also on the Australian mainland.

 

---

New Jersey Weed Gallery, USA

Listing of common and botanical names and images, plus a small amount of information for weeds that cause problems in the USA.

Invasive and Exotic Species of North America

Images and other information from the University of Georgia.

University of California

Weed Photo Gallery, with common and botanical names.

---

World of Weeds

Weed-related resources including weed science, practical tools, gardening tips about controlling weeds, and environmental news updates.

 

Invasive Species Specialist Group

"The ISSG aims to reduce threats to natural ecosystems and the native species they contain by increasing awareness of invasive alien species, and of ways to prevent, control or eradicate them."

 

Invasive Woody Plants

Collection of research and associated literature for invasive woody plants in the tropics and the temperate zone.

 

WeedScience.com

Site that includes a comprehensive collection of weed images from around the world.

 

Books on Weeds from FetchBook.Info

More Plant Profiles