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Blueberry—Barberry Scrub
Barberry and highbush blueberry thickets in a clearcut patch
Description
Meadows, when undisturbed, quickly become overrun by thickets of Japanese barberry. These introduced plants spread quickly and form thorny, impenetrable thickets.
Selected Plants
Shrubs
- Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
- Vaccinium corymbosum (Highbush blueberry)
Occurrence
Barberry persisting in an old pasture
Japanese barberry is a very invasive plant, so it is fortunate that there are few stands of it in the forest. The most notable stand, which is quickly growing up with highbush blueberry, occurs on the east side of Continental Road, just north of White Oak Corner.
Ecology
Japanese barberry must have disturbance in order to spread into a site. Individuals appear throughout the forest in sites where the soil has been heavily disturbed. The seeds are dispersed by birds even though the fruits seem to be relatively unpalatable.
The thorny barberries often keep away deer. Seedlings of trees and shrubs can grow among them in a protected seedbed. Highbush blueberry is one of the first to appear followed by viburnums and red maples.
History
Barberry thickets often form on old farmland, where the secondary growth has been cleared and then abandoned. These areas are notable in the Forest for having relatively rich, moist soils.
Also Called
- Reschke (1990): Successional blueberry heath (in part), successional shrubland
Selected References
For the general references see the references page.
- Ehrenfeld, J. 1997. Invasion of deciduous forest preserves in the New York metropolitan region by Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii DC.) J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 124: 210-215.
Photos: Kerry Barringer