Darwin's barberry

Darwin's barberry is an evergreen shrub standing at five metres tall with dark berries. It outcompetes native plants and can impact the horticultural industry.

Description

• Stems are tough, woody, densely hairy, and bear five-pronged needle-sharp spines.
• Leaves are less than 30 x 15cm, hairless, glossy, dark green and spiny-edged.
• Flowers are golden/yellow and hang in clusters from July to February.
• Berries are oval and purple/black.
• Seeds are dispersed by birds, soil movement and water.
• Habitats include disturbed forests, scrublands, and wastelands.

What you need to know

Outcompetes native plants in disturbed forests and scrublands, altering the understorey. May impact the horticultural industry as a host of various plant pathogens.

Management approach

This is a declared pest managed under the Canterbury Regional Management Plan 2018 – 2038 (PDF file, 10.6MB) within the sustained control programme.

Sustained control

Pests in the sustained control programme vary greatly in their distribution across the region. Some are found in low numbers, while others are already well-established pests. The intention of the sustained control programme is to reduce the impact on values and spread of a pest onto neighbouring properties.

We will work with affected land occupiers to ensure the extent of Darwin’s barberry does not increase and production values on adjacent land are not adversely affected.

Darwin's barberry is also declared an unwanted organism by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) because it is capable of causing harm to the natural environment, physical resources or human health in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

These species pose a high risk to our environment, economy, recreation, and cultural values.

Rules

Any species declared a pest cannot be sold or be in a place where plants are being sold. Pest plants cannot be propagated, bred, multiplied, communicated, released, caused to be released, or otherwise spread.

Control

Site Management

Follow up treated areas three times per year. Encourage natural regeneration of native plants or replant treated areas where possible after two to three treatments to establish dense ground cover and minimise reinvasion.

Physical control

Dig out all year round and leave plant material on site to rot down.

Plant parts requiring disposal: all parts.

Contact your local council for appropriate disposal locations.

Chemical control

No qualifications: Cut stump and paste freshly cut base of stems with metsulfuron gel.

Basic Growsafe certified: Foliar spray with 5g metsulfuron-methyl per 10L of water.

Certified handler/experienced agrichemical user: Foliar spray with 5g metsulfuron-methyl per 10L of water and 20ml penetrant.

Caution: When using any herbicide or pesticide please read the label thoroughly to ensure that all instructions and safety requirements are followed.

Biological control

Biological control agents are Darwin’s barberry flower bud weevil (Anthonomus kuscheli) and Darwin’s barberry seed weevil (Berberidicola exaratus).