What does it look like?
Darwin's barberry is a woody evergreen shrub that grows up to 5 metres tall. It has hairy stems with 5 needle sharp prongs below each group of leaves. Its leaves grow up to 3 cm long and are glossy and serrated.
The leaves are similar to holly in appearance. Bright yellow/orange flowers (5-7mm in diameter) appear in clusters from July to February, followed by purplish black berries roughly the same size as the flower.
Why is it a problem?
Darwin's barberry is a long-lived plant with seeds that are easily dispersed by birds and other vertebrates like possums. It tolerates moderate to cold temperatures, damp to dry conditions, and can establish in a wide variety of soil types.
It’s shade tolerant, salt tolerant, and can successfully establish in areas that are prone to high winds. It can invade disturbed forest, pasture, shrublands and herbfields. Given time, it can permanently alter these habitats, forming dense stands.
Control methods
Physical control
Grub out (all year round). Leave on site to rot down.
Herbicide control
- Stump swab (all year round) using glyphosate (200ml/L) or metsulfuron-methyl 600g/kg (5g/L) or picloram gel or a product containing 100g picloram+300g triclopyr/L (100ml/L) or triclopyr 600 EC (200ml/L). Or,
- Cut and squirt (all year round) using metsulfuron-methyl 600g/kg (1g/100mm stem diameter). Or,
- Spray (during sprint and autumn) using metsulfuron-methyl 600g/kg (5g/10L) or a product containing 100g picloram+300g triclopyr/L (25ml/10L).
- Cut stumps resprout quickly and can be hard to kill - seeds will germinate onto bare land. Follow up 6 monthly. Replant bare sites to minimise seeding.
- CAUTION: When using any herbicide or pesticide, PLEASE READ THE LABEL THOROUGHLY to ensure that all instructions and safety requirements are followed.
More information
- Darwin’s barberry is known to exist in Hawke’s Bay in the Gwavas area, and the Puketitiri area in low to moderate numbers.
- Darwin’s barberry is listed as a Progressive Containment pest under the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council Regional Pest Management Plan 2018-2038 and is subject to Plan Rule 5.
- Please report any sightings of Darwin’s barberry to us on 06 835 9200.
Related links
Notify Council
If you think you've found this pest, please get in touch with our Biosecurity Team at biosecurity@hbrc.govt.nz or call us on 0800 108 838.
Management Programme
National Pest Plant Accord
All plants on MPI's National Pest Plant Accord (NPPA) are unwanted organisms under the Biosecurity Act 1993 whose formal or casual trade contributes significantly to their spread.
Plants on the Accord cannot legally be propagated, distributed, or sold in New Zealand. If allowed to spread further, these pest plants could seriously damage our economy and environment.
Progressive Containment Programme
There are a number of pests that are well established in the Hawke’s Bay region but their present infestation levels are still low enough for those levels to be reduced region-wide through a progressive containment programme. Progressive Containment programmes have the less specific aim of reducing levels of infestation within their respective management zones. While the general intent is to reduce these infestations to zero-levels at some time into the future, the primary focus of a progressive containment programme is to preventing a pest from spreading. For well-established pests whose harmful effects and spread can still be reduced, progressive containment offers the best ratio of cost to benefits.
The goal is to maintain a pest population at the lowest feasible level and confine it to a particular area while reducing numbers over time. In some cases this will result in fewer sites infested or in others the overall density of the pest will reduce over a 10 year duration period. Containment programmes usually target habitats of high ecological value that require protection and restoration.
Unwanted Organism
An unwanted organism is any organism that's capable of causing harm to natural or physical resources (like forests and waterways) or human health. A number of introduced pests in New Zealand are classed as unwanted.
More informationRules
Plan Rule 5
Except where an occupier of land has entered into a Written Management Agreement approved by Hawke's Bay Regional Council, an occupier of land shall;
a) destroy all apple of Sodom, Australian sedge, cotton thistle, Darwin's barberry, nassella tussock, saffron thistle, velvetleaf, and woolly nightshade plants on their land
b) destroy all Japanise honeysuckle plants on their land within the defined containment area
c) destroy all old man's beard plants on their land within the Kaweka and Ruahine Ranges buffer area and containment area.
Taxonomies
FamilyBerberidaceae
TypePlants
GroupShrub
HabitatLand
Management ProgrammeNational Pest Plant AccordProgressive Containment ProgrammeUnwanted Organism
RulesPlan Rule 5
