Barberry Barberry Berberis spp. It comes in various shapes and sizes, from tight little shrubs to sparse and vine-like.
Leaves turn bright red in response to age, shade, or frost.
Flowers are most often bright yellow clusters but some of the 600 or so species of Barberry may sport white flowers on their racemes. The flowers give way to deep blue-black or bright red berries. The wood is often yellow, as well as the pith, the coloration due to the high content of berberine, the plant's most active chemical. But berberine is highest in the rhizomes. This and the root may be so high in berberine content that they are almost bright orange.