Identify by feature
Shrub with red berries: which one is it, and is it poisonous?
In Belgium and the Netherlands, a shrub with red berries in autumn and winter is usually a holly, hawthorn, guelder rose, dog rose (rosehips), yew or cotoneaster; many of those berries are poisonous to people, but they feed the birds.
25 species with this feature
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Holly Ilex aquifolium
Broadleaf tree
Red berries on female trees, from autumn into spring. Poisonous to humans.
NativePoisonous
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Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna
Broadleaf tree
Red berries with a single stone (hence monogyna, ‘one-styled’).
Native
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Guelder rose Viburnum opulus
Shrub
Glossy red, translucent berries in clusters; poisonous raw.
Native
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Dog rose Rosa canina
Shrub
Red rose hips, rich in vitamin C (tea, jam); the hairs inside are itchy.
Native
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Yew Taxus baccata
Conifer
No cones: each seed sits in a red, fleshy cup (aril). Only female trees bear them.
NativePoisonous
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Firethorn Pyracantha
Shrub
Orange, red or yellow berries in dense clusters, lasting well into winter.
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Midland hawthorn Crataegus laevigata
Broadleaf tree
Dark red haws 8–12 mm across with 2–3 stones.
Native
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Barberry Berberis vulgaris
Shrub
Elongated, scarlet berries (about 1 cm) in hanging clusters, in September–October; sour, but edible.
Native
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Japanese skimmia Skimmia japonica
Shrub
Red berries on female plants (with a male plant nearby); poisonous.
Poisonous
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Fly honeysuckle Lonicera xylosteum
Shrub
Glossy red berries, in pairs and slightly joined at the base, in July–August; poisonous.
NativePoisonous
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Red-berried elder Sambucus racemosa
Shrub
Dense, egg-shaped clusters of glossy scarlet berries in June–July; poisonous raw, especially the seeds.
NativePoisonous
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Field-rose Rosa arvensis
Shrub
Small, round to oval, red hips (1–1.5 cm); the sepals drop off early.
Native
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Alder buckthorn Frangula alnus
Shrub
Berries, first green, then red, black when ripe; poisonous.
NativePoisonous
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Wayfaring-tree Viburnum lantana
Shrub
Flattened, oval berries that turn from green through red to glossy black, often all colours at once in a single head (August–September); mildly poisonous.
NativePoisonous
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Bittersweet Solanum dulcamara
Climber
Oval berries (1 cm), green at first, then orange and glossy red when ripe, often all colours in one cluster, August–October; poisonous.
NativePoisonous
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White bryony Bryonia dioica
Climber
Red berries (6–8 mm) in clusters on female plants, August–October; very poisonous.
NativePoisonous
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Mezereon Daphne mezereum
Shrub
Glossy scarlet berries against the stem, in June–July; highly poisonous.
NativePoisonous
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Sacred bamboo Nandina domestica
Shrub
Clusters of glossy red berries in autumn and winter; poisonous.
Poisonous
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Spotted laurel Aucuba japonica
Shrub
Glossy scarlet, elongated berries (about 1.5 cm) on female plants, all winter long; poisonous.
Poisonous
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Cowberry Vaccinium vitis-idaea
Dwarf shrub
Glossy red, sour berries (5–10 mm) in clusters, August–October.
Native
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Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Dwarf shrub
Red, mealy berries (6–10 mm), August–October; edible but bland and dry.
Native
Tip: Never eat berries you do not know for certain: holly, yew, guelder rose (raw), honeysuckles, skimmia and mezereon are poisonous. Look at the leaves and twigs to find out which shrub it is.