Nandina domestica Thunb., Berberidaceae

Click on an image for links to BIGGER PICTURES

Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results: 

High risk, score: 9 (Go to the risk assessment (Pacific)).
Reject, score: 12 (Go to the risk assessment (U.S. (Florida))).

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: nan tian zhu

English: Chinese-bamboo, heavenly-bamboo, nandina, sacred-bamboo, southern heaven-bamboo

Japanese: nanten

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Evergreen shrub 4-10 inches tall, stems erect, canelike, 0.5-1 inches in diameter, usually unbranched.  Leaves alternate, 2x- or 3x-odd-pinnately compound, 12-24 inches long; leaflets elliptic-lanceolate, 1.25-2.5 inches long, upper side deep green, underside paler, ±leathery, margins entire, apex long-tapering.  Inflorescence of erect, terminal panicles 8-12 inches long.  Flowers ca. 0.25 inches in diameter, odorless; sepals several, innermost largest; petals 3-6, white or flushed pink outside; staminate anthers dehiscing lengthwise, stigma short, conical, persistent.  Fruit a globose berry, 0.2-0.33 inches in diameter, bright red"  (Staples & Herbst, 2005; pp. 179-180).

"Stems erect. Wood and pith bright yellow. Leaves frequently reddish tinged, 5-10 dm; petioles basally enlarged and clasping. Leaflets 9-81, nearly sessile, leaflet blades 4-11 1.5-3 cm, base cuneate, apex acuminate. Inflorescences with hundreds of flowers, 1-2 dm. Flowers fragrant, pedicellate; perianth segments imbricate, weakly 2-4-seriate. Berries 6-9 mm. Seeds mostly 2"  (Flora of North America online).

Habitat/ecology:  "Woodland, floodplains, forest edges.  The dense foliage of this shrub shades out native plants and prevents their regeneration.  It forms extensive and dense stands displacing native vegetation.  The plant grows rather slowly and withstands cold weather"  (Weber, 2003; p. 279).  In the United States, "old home sites; woodlands, mesic flood plains, hammocks; 0-600 m"  (Flora of North America online).

Propagation:  Seed.  "Berries are abundantly produced and seeds dispersed by birds"  (Weber, 2003; p. 279).

Native range:  China and Japan (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Cultivée
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Wagner, W. L./ Herbst, D. R./Weitzman, A./Lorence, D.H. (2013)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1933) (voucher ID: BISH 42915) Taxon name on voucher: Nandina domestica Thunb.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1986) (voucher ID: BISH 502350) Taxon name on voucher: Nandina domestica Thunb.
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 21) Vouchers cited: MacKee 24654, MacKee 42387
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Palau Islands (main island group)	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 77)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Streamsides in montane forests, roadsides, thickets; below 1000 m. Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, ?Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang
Japan Japan	Japan	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. (2013)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Control: 

Physical:  "Seedlings can easily be hand pulled or dug out.  Since the plant develops a strong taproot, digging out large individuals is difficult".

Chemical:  "An effective control is cutting the stems close to the ground and treating the stumps with a glyphosate or triclopyr herbicide"  (Weber, 2003; p. 279).