Thunberg's Barberry 
[BEKBERIS THUNBERGII] 
J\ DENSE, round, low growing species from 
Japan, from 3 to 4 feet high; branches 
spreading, somewhat drooping, grooved and 
armed with sharp, stiff spines; blossoms pale 
yellow; leaves spoon-shaped, of fine brilliant 
green in summer, taking on from early autumn until Decem- 
ber the most glowing colors of any shrub or tree known. 
Crimson, orange, bronze and green, with all the intermediate 
shades, are blended in the most striking manner. 
After the leaves fall the branches are seen to be loaded 
down with scarlet-crimson berries, which remain fresh and 
hang until spring. 
A two-year hedge of this shrub, with its curving branches 
thickly hung with highly-colored fruit, is a most beautiful 
object. 
So fruitful is this species of Barberry that it is of the 
greatest value to plant as a ' 'cover" for quail or other game 
birds, as they feed greedily on its seeds. 
It is the very best of all plants to form a hedge 3 to 4 feet 
high, being impenetrable and thickly set with sharp spines, 
and never growing bare. 
As its beauty and value become better known it will 
become more and more popular. It is perfectly hardy, endures 
partial shade well, and cattle and sheep do not browse it. 
It is safe to say that no other plant has so much to recom- 
mend it for hedging designed for both beauty and defense. 
