Common barberry (Berberis vulgaris)

Present distribution

Scientific name:	Berberis vulgaris L.
Common name(s):	Common barberry

This weed is not known to be naturalised in Victoria

Habitat:

Native to temperate Asia and Europe. Found on roadsides, woods, old fields from 0-1800 m (FNAEC 1997). In New England, found in abandoned fields, coastal grassland, early successional forest, flood plain forest, forest wetland, open disturbed area, pasture, planned forest, roadside, shrub wetland, vacant lot, garden (IPANE 2004). Not known as naturalised in Victoria (ANH 2006, DSE 2004).

Potential distribution

Potential distribution produced from CLIMATE modelling refined by applying suitable landuse and vegetation type overlays with CMA boundaries

Map Overlays Used

Land Use:
Forest private plantation; forest public plantation; pasture dryland; pasture irrigation.

Broad vegetation types
Coastal scrubs and grassland; coastal grassy woodland; heathy woodland; lowland forest; inland slopes woodland; sedge-rich woodland; montane dry woodland; grassland; plains grassy woodland; herb-rich woodland; montane grassy woodland; riverine grassy woodland; riparian forest; rainshadow woodland; Mallee woodland; Wimmera/ Mallee woodland

Colours indicate possibility of Berberis vulgaris infesting these areas.

In the non-coloured areas the plant is unlikely to establish as the climate, soil or landuse is not presently suitable.

Map showing the potential distribution of common barberry

Red= Very high	Orange = Medium
Yellow = High	Green = Likely

Impact

QUESTION	COMMENTS	RATING	CONFIDENCE
Social
1. Restrict human access?	Grows between 1-3 metres (FNAEC 1997). Found on roadsides, woods, old fields. In the US was commonly cultivated for thorn hedges (FNAEC 1997). Depends on where the plant is found but if grown in dense thickets then would have a high nuisance value.	mh	mh
2. Reduce tourism?	Flowers in spring. Red or purple berries (FNAEC 1997). In the US was commonly cultivated for thorn hedges (FNAEC 1997). Depends on where weed is found but has the potential to have a minor effect on both aesthetics and inhibit some recreational activities.	ml	mh
3. Injurious to people?	Spines present (FNAEC 1997). Spines present at most times of the year.	mh	mh
4. Damage to cultural sites?	Plants not documented to cause damage to indigenous or cultural sites.	l	mh
Abiotic
5. Impact flow?	Terrestrial species (FNAEC 1997).	l	mh
6. Impact water quality?	Terrestrial species (FNAEC 1997).	l	mh
7. Increase soil erosion?	Deciduous shrub (FNAEC 1997) so will leave areas of ground exposed at certain times of year. However, information available doesn’t refer to increases in soil erosion and because of the areas found it is likely to have only a low probability of large-scale soil movement.	l	l
8. Reduce biomass?	Grows between 1-3 metres (FNAEC 1997). Found on roadsides, woods, old fields. In these situations it is likely that biomass will slightly increase.	l	mh
9. Change fire regime?	Deciduous shrub found on roadsides, woods, old fields (FNAEC 1997). In most situations, plant would have a small or negligible effect on fire risk.	l	mh
Community Habitat
10. Impact on composition (a) high value EVC	EVC=Coastal headland scrub (BCS = V); CMA=Corangamite; Bioreg=Warrnambool Plain; CLIMATE potential=VH. Grows between 1-3 metres. Other species of Berberis documented to replace native plants (Weber 2003) but insufficient evidence to determine if B. vulgaris does the same. May lead to minor displacement of some dominant species within the lower strata.	m	l
(b) medium value EVC	EVC=Riparian shrubland (BCS = D); CMA=North East; Bioreg=Northern inland slopes; CLIMATE potential=VH. Grows between 1-3 metres. Other species of Berberis documented to replace native plants (Weber 2003) but insufficient evidence to determine if B. vulgaris does the same. May lead to minor displacement of some dominant species within the lower strata.	m	l
(c) low value EVC	EVC=Montane dry woodland (BCS = LC); CMA=North East; Bioreg=Northern Inland slopes; CLIMATE potential=VH. Grows between 1-3 metres. Other species of Berberis documented to replace native plants (Weber 2003) but insufficient evidence to determine if B. vulgaris does the same. May lead to minor displacement of some dominant species within the lower strata.	m	l
11. Impact on structure?	Grows between 1-3 metres. Found on roadsides, woods, old fields (FNAEC 1997). Plant may have a minor effect on the lower and middle layer of the floral strata. Other species of Berberis documented to replace native plants (Weber 2003) but insufficient evidence to determine if B. vulgaris does the same.	ml	l
12. Effect on threatened flora?	This species is not documented as posing an additional risk to threatened flora.	mh	l
Fauna
13. Effect on threatened fauna?	This species is not documented as posing an additional risk to threatened fauna.	mh	l
14. Effect on non-threatened fauna?	Weed not documented to have an effect on non-threatened fauna species.	l	mh
15. Benefits fauna?	Goats used as form of weed control in hill country in New Zealand (Lambert et al 1981). Possible that it may provide some food assistance to indigenous fauna although not documented.	h	mh
16. Injurious to fauna?	Spines present (FNAEC 1997). Not documented to cause fauna to lose condition however does have spines which are present throughout the year.	mh	mh
Pest Animal
17. Food source to pests?	Goats used as form of weed control in hill country in New Zealand (Lambert et al 1981). Birds documented to eat other Berberis species (Weber 2003). Possible that B. vulgaris could supply food for one or more minor pest spp.	ml	mh
18. Provides harbor?	Plant not documented to provide harbour for pest species.	l	mh
Agriculture
19. Impact yield?	Listed as weed of agriculture in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, USA and Afghanistan (Holm et al 1979). Not documented to impact upon the quantity of yield.	l	mh
20. Impact quality?	Weed itself not documented to impact upon agricultural quality.	l	mh
21. Affect land value?	Weed not documented to affect land value.	l	mh
22. Change land use?	Weed not documented to change priority of land use. Young weeds can be pulled by hand or mowed.	l	mh
23. Increase harvest costs?	Weed not documented to increase the cost of harvest.	l	mh
24. Disease host/vector?	Alternate host of Puccinia graminis (wheat stem rust) (Peterson et al 2005). Host to major and severe disease of important agricultural produce.	h	h

Invasive

QUESTION	COMMENTS	RATING	CONFIDENCE
Establishment
1. Germination requirements?	Tends to germinate in late winter or early spring (PFAF 2004). Requires natural seasonal temperatures for germination.	mh	m
2. Establishment requirements?	Has high light demands (Kollmann & Reiner 1996). Can grow in semi-shade (PFAF 2004). Requires a moist soil (PFAF 2004). Can establish under a moderate canopy.	mh	h
3. How much disturbance is required?	Found on roadsides, woods, old fields from 0-1800 m (FNAEC 1997). Can establish in relatively intact natural ecosystem.	mh	mh
Growth/Competitive
4. Life form?	Deciduous shrub (FNAEC 1997). Lifeform – other.	l	mh
5. Allelopathic properties?	None described.	l	mh
6. Tolerates herb pressure?	In Poland, small colonies of an aphid (Liosomaphis berberidis) attacks the plant resulting in ‘discoloration curling and premature fall of leaves’ (Jaskiewicz 1996). Goats used as form of weed control in hill country in New Zealand (Lambert et al 1981). Weed may still persist.	ml	h
7. Normal growth rate?	Grows at a ‘medium rate’ (PFAF 2004). Maximum growth rate less than many species of the same life form.	ml	m
8. Stress tolerance to frost, drought, w/logg, sal. etc?	Cold hardy at beginning and end of growth period. ‘Purple-leafed plants were more salt- and pollution resistant than the green-leafed ones’ (Mamaev & Semkina 1972). Not frost tender (PFAF 2004). ‘Cannot tolerate extreme maritime exposure’ (PFAP 2004). Other species of Berberis are known to be drought tolerant and susceptible to fire (Weber 2003). Tolerant of at least 2 and maybe tolerant of another.	mh	m
Reproduction
9. Reproductive system	Flowers are hermaphrodite and pollinated by insects. Self-fertile (PFAF 2004). Can resprout from base. Both vegetative and sexual reproduction.	h	m
10. Number of propagules produced?	For other species of Berberis, seed density is high (Weber 2003). Each fruit contains 1-3 small black seeds (IPANE 2004). Plant images indicate that each plant can produce greater than 1000 fruit so propagules produced per flowering event would exceed 2000.	h	mh
11. Propagule longevity?	Seeds have high viability (Kollmann et al 1998). ‘Germination averages at about 90%’ (PFAF 2004). Insufficient information to determine how long the seeds can survive.	m	l
12. Reproductive period?	Insufficient information to determine reproductive period but as it is a shrub that grows at a medium rate likely to produce viable propagules for at least 10 years.	mh	l
13. Time to reproductive maturity?	Insufficient information to determine the time to reach reproductive maturity.	m	l
Dispersal
14. Number of mechanisms?	‘The fruit of Berberis vulgaris are dispersed by birds’ (IPANE 2004). Also eaten by small mammals (Kollmann et al 1998). Bird dispersed seeds.	h	mh
15. How far do they disperse?	As bird and animal dispersed, likely that many propagules will reach 200 – 1000m.	mh	mh

References

Australian National Herbarium (ANH) 2006, Australia’s Virtual Herbarium, Australian National Herbarium, Centre for Plant Diversity and Research, viewed, http://www.anbg.gov.au/avh/

Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) 2004, Flora information system [CD-ROM], Biodiversity and Natural Resources Section, Viridans Pty Ltd, Bentleigh.

Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNAEC), 1997, Flora of North America, Volume 3, www.efloras.org, viewed 14 Aug 2006,
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500244

Holm, L., Pancho, J.V., Herberger, J.P. & Plucknett, D.L. 1979, A geographical atlas of world weeds, John Wiley and Sons, New York.

Invasive Plant Atlas of New England (IPANE )2004, Catalogue of species: Berberis vulgaris, University of Connecticut, viewed 28 Aug 2006, http://www.lib.uconn.edu/webapps/ipane/browsing.cfm?descriptionid=41

Jaskiewicz, B. 1996, ‘Barberry aphid – a pest of Berberis vulgaris’, Ochrona Roslin, vol. 40, no. 7, p. 9, CAB abstracts.

Kollmann, J., Coomes, D.A. & White, S.M. 1998, ‘Consistencies in post-dispersal seed predation of temperate fleshy-fruited species among seasons, years and sites’, Functional Ecology, vol. 12, pp. 683-690.

Kollmann, J. and Reiner, S.A. 1996, ‘Light demands of shrub seedlings and their establishment within scrublands’, Flora (Jena.), vol. 191, no. 2, pp. 191-200, CAB abstracts.

Lambert, M.G., Clark, D. A. & Rolston, M.P. 1981, Use of goats for coarse weed control in hill country, proceedings of Ruakura Framers’ Conference, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, New Zealand, CAB abstracts.

Mamaev, S.A. and Semkina, L.A. 1972, ‘The resistance of purple- and green-leaved Berberis vulgaris to unfavourable environmental factors’, Referativnyi Zhurnal, vol. 8, no. 55, p. 706, CAB abstracts.

Peterson, P.D., Leonard, K.J., Miller, J.D. Lauson, R.J., and Sutton T.B. 2005, ‘Prevalence and distribution of common barberry, the alternate host of Puccinia graminis in Minnesota’, Plant disease, American Phytopathological Society, vol. 89, no. 2, pp. 159-163.

Plants for a Future (PFAF) 2004, Berberis vulgaris L., Plants for a Future Database, viewed 14 August 2006, http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Berberis+vulgaris BROKEN LINK

Weber, E. 2003, Invasive plant species of the world: a reference guide to environmental weeds’ CABI Publishing, Wallingford.

Global present distribution data references

Australian National Herbarium (ANH) 2006, Australia’s Virtual Herbarium, Australian National Herbarium, Centre for Plant Diversity and Research, viewed, http://www.anbg.gov.au/avh/

Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNAEC), 1997, Flora of North America, Volume 3, www.efloras.org, viewed 14 Aug 2006,
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500244

Peterson, P.D., Leonard, K.J., Miller, J.D. Lauson, R.J., and Sutton T.B. 2005, ‘Prevalence and distribution of common barberry, the alternate host of Puccinia graminis in Minnesota’, Plant disease, American Phytopathological Society, vol. 89, no. 2, pp. 159-163.

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