Common Barberry

Weekend Photoblogging

Common Barberry
Originally uploaded by urtica.

Here's another non-native species that is outshined by a relative. This is common barberry (Berberis vulgaris), a European species that is actually far less common around these parts than Japanese barberry (B. thunbergii) [though note that the "common" in its name is meant as "ordinary" rather than "plentiful"]. Its hanging yellow inflorescences, followed by these clusters of bright red fruit, make it much more attractive, IMHO, than Japanese barberry and its many cultivars...but don't take that as a recommendation to plant it, unless it's native to where you live.