Evergreen shrub, 6-10 ft (2-3 m), dense branches with “lethal” three-parted spines. Leaves alternate but often 5 per node, narrow, 5-8 cm long x 0.8-1.3 cm wide, leathery, spiny-serrate, lustrous dark green and wrinkled above, much paler below. Some leaves turn red before dropping in fall. Abundant yellow flowers in spring. Bluish-black oval fruits, 8 mm long.
Sun or partial shade. Very adaptable. Excellent barrier hedge, impenetrable.
Hardy to USDA Zone 5, hardiest of evergreen barberries.