Taxonomy
Berberis vulgaris | Barberry | Barbróg
Distribution
Status
Legal status
Illegal to plant or allow to grow this species under the Noxious Weeds (Common Barberry) Order 1958
Native status
Neophyte
First reported in the wild
Uncertain
Invasiveness
Invasive species - risk of Medium Impact
Irish status
Eradicated
Introduction pathways - 1
Escape from Confinement
Introduction pathways subclass - 1
Ornamental purpose
Invasive score
14
NAPRA Ireland risk assessed
No
Species Biology
Identification
Deciduous shrub up to 3m in height, leaves 2.5-6cm elliptical to obovate (ovate with the narrower end at the base) and green to purple, flowers yellow 30-50mm, fruit red (Stace, 1997).
Ecology
Harbours the rust fungus of wheat.
Habitat
Woodland, forest and other wooded land, Grasslands and landscapes dominated by forbs, mosses or lichens, Constructed, industrial or other artificial habitats
Life cycle
Perennial
Pathway and vector description
Previously popular as a garden plant, though listed as a noxious weed since 1958, as it harboured the rust fungus of wheat (Reynolds, 2002). Has since been virtually eradicated from Ireland.
Mechanism of impact
Disease transmission
Broad environment
Terrestrial
Habitat description
Previously found in gardens and hedgerows (Reynolds, 2002).
Species group
Plant
Native region
Africa
Similar species
Distribution
World distribution(GBIF)
Irish distribution
Eradicated - Only one modern record from 2007 in Co Kilkenny.
Native distribution
Native to the Barbary coast of North Africa (Preston et al., 2004), Morocco, Libya, Algeria and Tunisia.
Temporal change
Date of first record category
Pre-1900
Fifty year date category
Unknown
Records submitted to Data Centre in 2024
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How can you help
Report any sightings to the National Biodiversity Data Centre.
Further information
The fruit was used in the past for making jellies and jams, but then the plant was exterminated as it was a carrier of the rust fungus which affects wheat and was prohibited in Ireland under the Noxious Weeds Order 1958. On the other hand it is actively cultivated in Iran for its fruit.
References
Publications
Reynolds, S.C.P. (2002) A catalogue of alien plants in Ireland. National Botanic Gardens. Glasnevin, Dublin. Stace, C. (1997). New Flora of the British Isles 2nd Edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Preston, C.D., Pearman, D. A. & Dines, T. D. 2002. New atlas of the British and Irish flora. An atlas of the vascular plants of Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Oxford University Press.