Berberidaceae

Berberis thunbergii 'Atropurpurea'

Red barberry

Look for: 

- A small shrub,
- spatulate leaves that are red to purple (or green in the shade),
- little or no petiole,
- long, slender spines at leaf bases.

Berberidaceae

Mahonia aquifolium

Oregon grape

Look for: 
- A low shrub with shiny, prickly foliage and several vertical stems,
- odd-pinnately compound leaves with 5-9 spiny leaflets,
- bright yellow flowers in the springtime,
- pale blue fruits in the fall.

Berberidaceae

Mahonia lomariifolia

Chinese mahonia

Look for: 
- An evergreen shrub,

- "X" forms on the bark
- whorls of stiff and spiny leaves atop tall, bare stems,
- odd-pinnately compound leaves with 21-41 leaflets,
- terminal inflorescences of bright yellow flowers in December and January.

Berberidaceae

Nandina domestica

Heavenly bamboo

Look for: 
- Evergreen shrub composed of many upright "bamboo-like" stems,
- large bi- to tri-pinnately compound leaves,
- distinctive leaflets with long, tapering tips,
- tiny flowers with white petals and yellow stamens,
- cone-shaped panicles of spherical, red fruits.

Caprifoliaceae

Abelia 'Edward Goucher'

Pink abelia

Look for: 
- An arching shrub with many thin stalks,
- opposite, ovate leaves (sometimes whorled),
- pink flowers,
- a persistent calyx with 2-3 large sepals.

Caprifoliaceae

Abelia x grandiflora

White abelia

Look for: 
- An arching shrub composed of many thin stalks,
- opposite, ovate leaves,
- white flowers,
- a persistent calyx with 4-5 sepals.

Caprifoliaceae

Viburnum tinus

Laurustinus

Look for: 
- a dense shrub standing three to five feet high,
- dark green foliage on wine-red stems, 
- opposite, simple, elliptic leaves with ciliate margins,
- flat-topped clusters of small, purple flower buds,
- (if you're lucky) a few shiny, metallic-blue fruits.

Ericaceae

Arbutus unedo

Strawberry tree

Look for: 
- a shrub or small tree,
- slender, exfoliating strips of bark that run up and down the trunk,
- leathery, elliptic leaves with dentate margins,
- clusters of urn-shaped white flowers in the fall,
- spherical fruit that ripen from green to yellow to a bright strawberry red.

Plumbaginaceae

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides

Dwarf plumbago

Look for: 
- A low-growing groundcover,
- deep blue flowers in terminal clusters,
- tubular corollas of five fused petals,
- alternate leaves with stiff hairs along the margins.

Plumbaginaceae

Plumbago auriculata

Cape plumbago

Look for: 
- An arching shrub with long, green stems,
- showy clusters of light blue or white flowers,
- somewhat less showy clusters of spatulate leaves,
- stipules that form collars around the stem where each clump of leaves emerges.

Sapindaceae

Koelreuteria bipinnata

Chinese flame tree

Look for: 
- a rounded tree that blooms from September to October with many small, yellow flowers,
- large, bipinnately compound leaves
- leaflets that are unlobed and more-or-less bilaterally symmetrical,
- panicles of seedpods that resemble pale green paper lanterns.

Sapindaceae

Koelreuteria elegans

Flamegold

Look for:
- very large, bi-pinnately compound leaves,
- individual leaflets that are shiny and asymetrical with oblique bases,
- leaflet margins that can be entire or serrate, 
- many small yellow flowers in early fall, 
- bright, shiny, salmon-pink seed capsules in late fall or early winter.

Sapindaceae

Koelreuteria paniculata

Goldenrain tree, Varnish tree

Look for:
- Pinnately compound leaves,
- an elliptic leaf shape, with smaller leaflets at the base and the tip,
- deeply lobed leaflets with irregular margins,
- panicles of large, brown seedpods.

Vitaceae

Parthenocissus quinquefolia

Virginia Creeper

Look for: 
- A vigorous climbing vine,
- palmately compound leaves composed of 5 leaflets,
- blue fruit that resemble grapes.

Vitaceae

Parthenocissus tricuspidata

Boston Ivy

Look for: 
- A woody climbing vine,
- leaves with 3 sharp lobes,
- red fall color,
- blue "grape-like" fruits.