Berberis thunbergii Atropurpurea is the purple-red leaved variety of Japanese Barberry. With vicious spines and springy, arching stems, It is a thorny shrub that makes a great hedge plant. It is an ornamental plant, which produces small yellow, pink-tinged flowers in spring that mature into blazing red, inedible berries in summer. The small leaves are purple for much of the year, erupting into a red Autumn display. suitable for any well drained soil.