Side by side
Japanese barberry or gooseberry? How to tell them apart
Berberis thunbergii · Ribes uva-crispa
How to tell them apart – Japanese barberry: dense, thorny shrub with small leaves in clusters, often red, red berries; gooseberry: lobed leaves and hairy berries.
How do you recognise them?
- Japanese barberry
- Dense, thorny shrub with small leaves in clusters, often red; red berries.
- Gooseberry
- Low shrub with spines below the leaf bases, small lobed leaves and green or red, often hairy berries.
- Compared with Japanese barberry: lobed leaves and hairy berries.
| Japanese barberry | Gooseberry | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, in small clusters, small (1–3 cm), untoothed, green or red; fine autumn colour. | Alternate or in clusters, rounded, 3–5-lobed, 2–5 cm. |
| Flowering | Small yellow flowers in April–May (April–May). | Small, hanging, greenish-red flowers in April (April). |
| Fruit | Glossy red, elongated berries. | Large green, yellow or red berries, smooth or hairy (July). |
| Bark | Grooved twigs with spines: single on Japanese barberry, three-pronged on common barberry. | Stems with 1–3 spines below each bud. |
| Shape and height | Shrub, 1–2 m | Shrub, 0.5–1.5 m |
| Site | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, dry | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | No, planted | Yes |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for bees and birds | Yes, for bees, butterflies and birds |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | June–September | July–August and November–February |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Gooseberry is native: it feeds more insects and birds than a non-native species. If in doubt, choose this one.
Read on
- Plant profile: Japanese barberry
- Plant profile: Gooseberry
- Japanese barberry: when and how to prune
- Gooseberry: when and how to prune
- Identification key: the question that separates them
Also looks like
- Japanese barberry or barberry
- Redcurrant or gooseberry
- Mountain currant or gooseberry
- Jostaberry or gooseberry
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.