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Berberis japonica

Japanese Ashberry · Japanese Mahonia · Oregon Grape

Family BerberidaceaeGenus Berberis

Also published as Mahonia japonica. You are in the right place.

A wide shrub of spiny pinnate leaves turned red and bronze, with yellow buds, beside an office wall
The whole plantKENPEICC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

Habit
shrubPlants of the World Online
Flower
YellowWikipedia

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Wikipedia — Wikipedia contributors.

Worth knowing

  • Despite its name it is not native to Japan, though grown there for centuries; its wild origin long puzzled botanists. Wild plants in Taiwan look most like it. Wikipedia: Berberis japonica

Protocol

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

about 3 months from start to step 2. Germination happens during step 2, in 18 days.

87% germination in 6–18 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Ilex p. 155Public domain
Show the original text
Ilex (Aquifollaceae). This genus is notorious for poor and extended germination. All flex seed is enclosed in a berry and all were WC for 7 d. I. japonica seed collected in January germ. best in 40-70(87% in 6-18 d). A prior 3 m at 70, D5 6 m at 70 or 40, or producing a hole in the seed coat had no effect.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Ilex p. 155. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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