Nandina Plant Guide: Invasiveness Concerns Regarding Nandina

Nandina domestica is a flowering semi-evergreen or evergreen shrub that is known by the common names "heavenly bamboo" and "sacred bamboo." It is part of the Berberidaceae (barberry) family of plants. While nandina does have bamboo-like stalks, its name is misleading. It is a broadleaf shrub that produces bright red berries amid green foliage that grows bi-pinnately or tri-pinnately.

Nandina is mostly used in horticulture as a groundcover and landscape plant. New growth comes rapidly—so rapidly that it has become an invasive species that often crowds out native plants.

Nandina domestica is native to Japan and much of China, extending from the coastline to parts of the Himalayas. It can grow in USDA hardiness zones six through ten.

Nandina is a monotypic genus, meaning its only species is Nandina domestica. However, Nandina domestica has yielded many different cultivars.

1. 1. ‘Gulfstream’: 'Gulfstream' nandina is a dwarf species that grows roughly three feet tall by three feet wide. It is best regarded for its fall foliage, which runs from orange to red.
2. 2. ‘Fire Power’: Even smaller than 'Gulfstream,' 'Fire Power' nandina tends to grow two feet tall by two feet wide. In early summer, it produces new growth that is lime green in color, while its fall color is a bright red. It is this red foliage that gives 'Fire Power' its name.
3. 3. ‘Lemon Lime’: 'Lemon Lime' nandina grows upwards of four feet tall and wide. Its foliage starts out yellow-green in early summer and eventually becomes lime green.
4. 4. ‘Blush Pink’: Another dwarf species that rarely exceeds two feet wide or tall, 'Blush Pink' produces bright pink and red foliage.
5. 5. ‘Harbour Dwarf’: This cultivar makes good groundcover due to its underground rhizomes that produce new stems. Its new growth starts with a coppery hue before giving way to red and purple leaves.
6. 6. ‘Moon Bay’: Another rhizomatous species that lends itself nicely to groundcover, 'Moon Bay' features lime green leaves that turn bright red in the fall. It also has panicles that produce white flowers followed by red berries.
7. 7. ‘Harbor Belle’: If nandina berries sound appealing, you may enjoy the 'Harbor Belle' cultivar. Although laced with toxicity, its red berries are occasional food sources for hungry birds like the cedar waxwing and northern mockingbird. These birds can only stomach small quantities of nandina berries; if they eat too much, the natural cyanide in the berries will poison them.

Nandina is considered an invasive species in much of the United States. It has many features that help it out-compete native species. It is drought-tolerant and can thrive in both full sun and partial shade. Critically, it grows rapidly via underground rhizomes, which helps it overtake gardens and wild woodlands.

In the United States, you are most likely to encounter Nandina domestica in Southeastern states like Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland. In these states, many local horticultural societies discourage the use of nandina as a landscape plant because it can quickly jump to other properties and overrun native species.

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