Heavenly Bamboo

Heavenly Bamboo, Nandina

Nandina domestica

Berberidaceae (Barberry Family)

▲ ▼ mature plants

▲ ▼ fruiting plants

Location near campus: toward northwest corner of Xeriscape Garden; Xeriscape Garden is at northwest corner of National and Linwood, about 3/4 mile south of campus on National Avenue.

Nandina domestica: Heavenly Bamboo, Nandina

• leaves semi-evergreen, alternate, bipinnately compound
• leaflets oval to lanceolate with entire margins about 1" long and 1/3 as wide
• leaflets turn orange to red in winter and may or may not drop from plant
• stems brown, stout, hard to see amidst foliage with glaucous coating; petiole bases remain on stem after leaves fall
• flowers white, in panicles in late spring, followed by red berries which ripen in fall
• grows 6-8' tall with up to 10' spread; generally a columnar growth habit, but formation of new branches near plant base by rhizomes increases plant spread with age
• grows in full sun to almost full shade; prefers moist, well-drained, high-organic matter soils but will grow in any soil type
• medium growth rate