Japanese barberry
Berberis thunbergii
FOUND by Waynflete42013-05-13
Portland
ID Confirmed
Quality checked by peers
Peer reviewed by
Field Notes
The date is May 13, 2013. The temperature is 51 degrees Fahrenheit. The sky above is sunny with scattered clouds. The weather conditions are slightly windy, and the grass is very dry. The location that we find this plant at is on the side of a road that is densely populated. Above a sidewalk, there is a stone wall with various plants growing on it. The plant we found is on the far right of the top of the stone wall. The area in which this plant is found has a dense, groomed grass. The area has other smaller, wider, and longer bushes. Across the street, there is a canopy of trees, but our area is not covered by any of these trees.
Supporting Evidence
This picture shows the size of the leaf. A Japanese Barberry is 2 to 4 cm in length, and this picture accurately displays the evidence. On our Vital Signs card, it shows that the leafs have an oval shape. The plant we found, like the plant on the card, has ovular leaves.
This photo shows the shape if the bush. A Japanese Barberry has a rounded dense top. This plant also has a dense rounded top.
Place Studied
We’re sorry, JavaScript is required to view the map. If JavaScript is you may wish to upgrade to a newer browser in order to view this map.
Map this species
Latitude:
N 43.646232 °
Longitude:
W -70.269374 °
Trip Information
Name:
Waynflete School campus
Trip date:
Mon, 2013-05-13 12:30
Town or city:
Portland
Type of investigation:
Species and Habitat Survey
Ecosystem:
Upland
Watershed:
Presumpscot
Habitat Observations
Species diversity:
Evidence of vectors:
Paved road
Walking trail
People
Tree canopy cover:
Soil moisture:
Moist
Comments
Agreed! Your evidence
Agreed! Your evidence definitely points to this being Japanese barberry.
This particular plant looks like it was planted intentionally. Gardens are how many non-native plants get introduced to new places.
The nice rounded top seems to suggest that this plant is trimmed each year. When Japanese barberry grows in the absence of humans with trimmers, it's stems look more free, wandering, and reaching to me (that would make a nice start to a poem...).
You should check along that same street and see if you can find evidence of this planted barberry's seeds escaping into other yards!
Thanks for always keeping your eyes out for invasive barberry.
Thanks!
Thank you for the comment! We agree that it was planted intentionally for garden and decoration reasons/uses.
Waynflete Group 4