Habitat

• native to Japan
• zone 3

Habit and Form

• semi-evergreen small shrub
• multistemmed
• oval growth habit
• 4' to 6' tall and almost as wide
• suckers
• medium growth rate
• medium texture

Summer Foliage

• simple, evergreen leaves
• alternate leaf arrangement
• elliptical leaf shape
• 1" to 3" long
• serrated margin with a rounded apex
• dark green leaf color

Autumn Foliage

• deep purple fall color
• leaves fall late if at all

Flowers

• yellow flowers
• flowers borne in long, pendulous racemes
• blooms in early May
• showy

Fruit

• oval berry
• red
• 0.25' long
• matures in mid-fall
• persist through winter

Bark

• reddish brown stems
• glabrous
• 1 to 5 spines, 0.25" long

Culture

• easily transplanted
• full sun to partial shade
• soil tolerant
• pruning tolerant

Landscape Use

• a four season plant
• massing or grouping
• hedge
• barrier due to thorniness

Liabilities

• large thorns and spiny leaves make the plant difficult to manage
• avoid use where small children will be present
• collects litter and leaves around the base

ID Features

• serrated evergreen, shiny leaves
• large, 1 to 5-branched spines at nodes
• spines are flattened adn resembles a duck foot
• reddish-brown bark on stems
• yellow flowers in spring
• red fruit in fall
• suckers

Propagation

• by cuttings
• by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

'Red Tears' - Known chiefly for the bright red fruits, which hang in clusters up to 4" long. The leaves are also reddish-colored on this arching shrub that reaches 6'.