Berberis vulgaris
Common barberry
(c) Tom Norton, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Berberidaceae · Type: Shrub · Not Native
Berberis vulgaris (Common barberry) is a non-native California shrub in the Berberidaceae family, recognized by only deciduous species, simple leaves, single nodal spines.
Common barberry is a naturalized shrub found in northwestern California in disturbed areas at elevations of 500 to 1,000 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces yellow flowers in clusters of 10 to 20 blooms. Growing 1.5 to 3 meters tall with ascending to erect stems that feature single nodal spines 4 to 8 millimeters long, it forms a distinctive branching structure. Its deciduous leaves are obovate to oblong, 2 to 5 centimeters long, with fine teeth and 8 to 24 small spines along each leaf edge. The fruit is an elliptic red-purple berry 10 to 15 millimeters long.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 8 sympatric species; only deciduous species, simple leaves, single nodal spines
Habitat and range
Habitat: Disturbed areas
Elevation: 500-1000 m
Outside California: eastern United States, native to Europe
Bloom period
Berberis vulgaris blooms Mar-Jun.
How to tell it apart
vs Quercus: Berberis has compound leaves or simple leaves with regular spiny teeth; Quercus has simple lobed leaves with irregular lobes.; vs Ilex: Berberis has compound leaves or alternate simple leaves; Ilex has only simple leaves that are spirally arranged.; vs Pyracantha: Berberis has yellow flowers and compound or simple spiny-edged leaves; Pyracantha has white flowers and simple leaves with thorns on stems.; vs Rosa: Berberis has yellow flowers with 6 petals; Rosa has pink-white flowers with 5 petals and compound leaves with paired leaflets.; vs Rhaphiolepis: Berberis has yellow flowers and spiny-toothed leaves; Rhaphiolepis has white-pink flowers and simple leaves with smooth or finely toothed edges.
Frequently asked questions
Is Berberis vulgaris native to California?
No. Berberis vulgaris is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Berberis vulgaris bloom?
Berberis vulgaris blooms Mar-Jun.
What plant family does Berberis vulgaris belong to?
Berberis vulgaris is in the Berberidaceae family, genus Berberis.
What habitat does Berberis vulgaris grow in?
Berberis vulgaris grows in Disturbed areas.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Berberis aquifolium — Mountain grape
- Berberis aquifolium var. aquifolium — Oregon grape
- Berberis aquifolium var. dictyota — Jepson's oregon grape
- Berberis aquifolium var. repens — Creeping oregon grape
- Berberis darwinii — Darwin's berberis
- Berberis fremontii — Fremont barberry
- Vancouveria chrysantha — Siskiyou inside-out-flower
- Vancouveria hexandra — Deciduous vancouvaria
- Vancouveria planipetala — Redwood ivy
- Vancouveria sp. — Inside-out-flower
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.