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What is this dense shrub? The berries reveal its identity

The hanging yellow-orange berries reveal more than the leaves. In late August, they make the shrub in your photograph particularly recognisable.

Photograph submitted by the reader

This is a berberis, also called barberry. Your photograph shows its typical dense growth, small obovate leaves in clusters and many hanging clusters of elongated yellow-orange berries, all of which fit berberis very well.

The exact species or cultivar cannot be established confidently from this photograph, but it looks like a green-leaved hedging type rather than a dark red-leaved ornamental cultivar. Looking closely at the branches, you will often find thorns, sometimes small but sharp, which are a useful berberis feature.

In late August in Sweden, the berries make it easier to identify. To check for yourself, look for thorns on the branches and see whether the berries become more distinctly red as they ripen.

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  1. Original reader contribution ↗Reader question
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