''Nandina domestica'' ( ) commonly known as nandina, heavenly bamboo or sacred bamboo, is a
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
in the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Berberidaceae
The Berberidaceae are a family (biology), family of 18 genera of flowering plants commonly called the barberry family. This family is in the order (biology), order Ranunculales. The family contains about 700 known species, of which the majority ...
,
native
Native may refer to:
People
* '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood
* '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Nat ...
to eastern Asia from the Himalayas to Japan. It is the only member of the
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...
genus ''Nandina''. It is widely grown in
garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...
s as an
ornamental plant
Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...
with a number of
cultivars
A cultivar is a kind of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and which retains those traits when propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue cult ...
that display bright-red fall foliage in the cool months, and attractive new foliage growth in spring. Although a popular ornamental shrub, the berries are toxic to birds, especially towards the end of the winter when other food sources become scarce.
The Latin genus name ''Nandina'' is derived from the
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
name .
[Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). pp 145, 268] The
specific epithet
In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...
''domestica'' means 'domesticated', or 'of the household'.
Description

Despite the common name "sacred bamboo", it is not a
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
but an erect
evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...
shrub up to tall by wide, with numerous, usually unbranched stems growing from ground level. The glossy
leaves
A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...
are sometimes
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...
in colder areas, long, bi- or tri-
pinnate
Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and ...
ly compound, with the individual leaflets long and 1.5–3 cm broad.
The young leaves in spring are brightly coloured pink to red before turning green; old leaves turn red or purple again before falling. Its
petiolate leaves are 50–100 cm long, compound (two or three pinnacles) with leaflets, elliptical to ovate or
lanceolate
The following terms are used to describe leaf plant morphology, morphology in the description and taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade ...
and of entire margins, 2–10 cm long by 0.5–2 cm wide, with petioles swollen at their bases.
The
inflorescence
In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...
s are axillary or terminally erect
panicle
In botany, a panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a p ...
s with numerous
hermaphrodite flowers. There are several
ovate
Ovate may refer to:
* Ovate (egg-shaped) leaves, tepals, or other botanical parts
*Ovate, a type of prehistoric stone hand axe
* Ovates, one of three ranks of membership in the Welsh Gorsedd
* Vates or ovate, a term for ancient Celtic bards ...
-oblong sepals of a pinkish white color, and six oblong white petals, each 4 by 2.5 mm. The flowers are borne in early summer in conical clusters held well above the foliage. The fruit is a bright red berry, 5–10 mm diameter, ripening in late autumn and often persisting through the winter.
Garden history and cultivation

''N. domestica'', grown in Chinese and Japanese gardens for centuries, was brought to Western gardens by
William Kerr, who sent it to London in his first consignment from
Canton, in 1804.
[Alice M. Coats, ''Garden Shrubs and Their Histories'' (1964) 1992, ''s.v.'' "Nandina".] English breeders, unsure of its
hardiness, kept it in greenhouses at first. The scientific name given to it by
Carl Peter Thunberg
Carl Peter Thunberg, also known as Karl Peter von Thunberg, Carl Pehr Thunberg, or Carl Per Thunberg (11 November 1743 – 8 August 1828), was a Sweden, Swedish Natural history, naturalist and an Apostles of Linnaeus, "apostle" of Carl Linnaeus ...
is a Latinized version of a Japanese name for the plant, ''nan-ten''.
Over 65
cultivar
A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...
s have been named in Japan, where the species is particularly popular and a national Nandina society exists. In
Shanghai
Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
berried sprays of nandina are sold in the streets at New Year, for the decoration of house altars and temples.
Nandina does not berry profusely in Great Britain, but it can be grown in
USDA
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commerc ...
hardiness zones
A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...
6–10 with some cultivars hardy into zone 5. Nandina can take heat and cold, from . It generally needs no pruning, but can spread via underground runners and can be difficult to remove.
Nandina is extremely
toxic
Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...
to birds and mammals.
["Nandina Berries Kill Birds Popular garden shrub berries are toxic to birds and other animals"](_blank)
by Jerry W. Davis, Audubon Arkansas, 28 January 2016. Spent berry stalks can easily be snapped off by hand in spring. Due to the naturally occurring phytochemicals (see above) this plant is commonly used in rabbit, deer, and javelina resistant landscape plantings.
Cultivars
These are some of the popular cultivars of this plant:
*''Blush'' – Slightly smaller than the above, it produces red new growth in spring and autumn, and in winter months it turns
vivid red.
*''Fire Power'' – Height of 2 to 2 1/2 feet tall, is so-named for its impressive red fall and winter foliage.
[What Are the Different Types of ''Nandina'' Shrubs?](_blank)
/ref>
*''Gulfstream'' – Reaching 3 feet wide and 3 to 3 1/2 feet tall, it features narrow, diamond-shaped leaves which are orange-tinted and coppery when young that develop to turquoise
Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula . It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gemstone for millennia due to its hue.
The robi ...
in summer, then turn orange-red in fall.
*''Lemon Lime'' – Yellowish green spring foliage that transforms to chartreuse
Chartreuse () may refer to:
Common meanings
* Chartreuse (liqueur), a French liqueur
* Chartreuse (color), a yellow-green color named after the liqueur
* Grande Chartreuse, the original Carthusian monastery
Other uses
* Chartreuse (dish), a ...
in summer.
*''Moon Bay'' – Dense and upright reaching 1m, its diamond-shaped leaves (which are similar to Gulfstream) change seasonally from lime green, red, apricot
An apricot (, ) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus ''Prunus''.
Usually an apricot is from the species '' P. armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are also ...
and burgundy
Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...
.
*''Moyer's Red'' – A semi dwarf type that grows 4 to 6 feet tall that features light-pink flowers.
*''Nana'' – A dwarf variety suited for a low hedge, it features foliage that turns into lime green
Lime is a color that is a shade of yellow-green, so named because it is a representation of the color of the citrus fruit called lime (fruit), limes. It is the color that is in between the web color chartreuse (color), chartreuse and yellow on ...
to crimson
Crimson is a rich, deep red color, inclining to purple.
It originally meant the color of the kermes dye produced from a scale insect, '' Kermes vermilio'', but the name is now sometimes also used as a generic term for slightly bluish-red col ...
red and scarlet-bronze tones in the cooler months.
*''Obsession'' – Related to the above, it grows 2 to 2 1/2 feet tall and wide and features scarlet spring and fall foliage.
*''Richmond'' – 1–1.5 metres tall. In summer, it bears panicles of white flowers followed by bright-red berries in winter.
*''Royal Princess'' – Reaching up to 8 feet tall, this displays blush-coloured blooms.
*''Sienna Sunrise'' – Growing 3–4 feet tall, it features glaring red foliage with red highlights in fall.
Toxicity
All parts of the plant are poisonous
A poison is any chemical substance that is harmful or lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figurati ...
, containing compounds that decompose to produce hydrogen cyanide
Hydrogen cyanide (formerly known as prussic acid) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula, formula HCN and structural formula . It is a highly toxic and flammable liquid that boiling, boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is ...
, and could be fatal if ingested. The plant is generally considered non-toxic to humans, but the berries are considered toxic to cats and grazing animals. Excessive consumption of the berries will kill birds such as cedar waxwings, because they are subject to cyanide toxicosis, resulting in death to multiple individuals at one time.
The berries also contain alkaloids such as nantenine
Nantenine is an alkaloid found in the plant '' Nandina domestica'' as well as some ''Corydalis'' species. It is an antagonist of both the α1-adrenergic receptor and the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor, and blocks both the behavioral and physiologica ...
, which is used in scientific research as an antidote to MDMA (ecstasy).
Status as an invasive species
''Nandina'' is considered invasive in Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. It was placed on the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council's invasive list as a Category I species, the highest listing. It has been observed in the wild in Florida in Gadsden, Leon
Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to:
Places
Europe
* León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León
* Province of León, Spain
* Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...
, Jackson
Jackson may refer to:
Places Australia
* Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson oil field in Durham, ...
, Alachua and Citrus
''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes.
''Citrus'' is nativ ...
counties, in conservation areas, woodlands and floodplains. In general, the purchase or continued cultivation of non-sterile varieties in the southeastern United States is discouraged.
It is also becoming invasive in wild areas farther north, and in May 2017 was added to the Maryland invasive plant list with a tier 2 status.
Although grown extensively in Texas because of its tolerance for dry conditions, fruiting varieties of ''Nandina'' are considered invasive there. This is primarily due to birds spreading seeds into natural areas where ''Nandina'' proliferates and crowds out native species, both through seeding and by the growth of rhizomatous
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...
underground stems.
Gallery
File:Nandina Blooms.jpg, Flowers
File:(MAD) N. domestica - fl - 03.jpg, Flower
File:(MAD) N. domestica - fr - 06.jpg, Fruits
File:Ranunculales - Nandina domestica 2.jpg, Fruiting shrub
File:Nandina domestica1.jpg
File:Nandina domestica fire power A.jpg, 'Fire power' cultivar in a hedge setting
File:Nandina domestica leaves.JPG, A cultivar in South Korea
File:Nandina domestica Gulf Stream 3zz.jpg, 'Gulf Stream' cultivar with diamond-shaped leaflets
File:Nandina domestica-Clapiers-4050~2015 03 29.JPG, Seedling, with two green cotyledons, and a first red-green leaf
File:2021-06-22 18 26 54 Heavenly Bamboo flowers and fruit along Thompson Road in the Franklin Glen section of Chantilly, Fairfax County, Virginia.jpg, Flowers and fruit
File:Nandina domestica 'Richmond' in Brest.jpg, ''Nandina domestica'' 'Richmond' in Conservatoire botanique national de Brest
The Conservatoire botanique national de Brest (32 hectares) is a notable botanical garden located at 52 Allée du Bot, Brest, Finistère, in the region of Brittany, France. It is open daily without charge.
History
The conservatory site was f ...
Notes
References
External links
* Huxley, A., ed. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary of Gardening'' 3: 284–285. Macmillan.
Flora of North America: ''Nandina domestica''
(deals with the species as an introduced plant)
''Nandina domestica'' database
''Nandina domestica'' information
Species Profile - Sacred Bamboo (''Nandina domestica'')
National Invasive Species Information Center, United States National Agricultural Library
The United States National Agricultural Library (NAL) is one of the world's largest agricultural research libraries, and serves as a national library of the United States and as the library of the United States Department of Agriculture. Locate ...
Heavenly Bamboo
information and resources
{{Interwiki extra, qid=Q1153858
Flora of Asia
Berberidaceae genera
Monotypic Ranunculales genera
Berberidaceae
Garden plants
Ornamental plants