Berberis bealei, also known as leatherleaf mahonia, Beale's barberry,[5][6] is a species of evergreen[7] shrub native to mainland China.

Berberis bealei has reportedly escaped cultivation and become established in the wild in scattered places in the south-eastern United States from Arkansas to Florida to Delaware.

[10] However, Chronicle editor John Lindley, was unconvinced and repeatedly referred to the new species as Berberis (Mahonia) japonica.

Berberis bealei is a multi-stemmed, evergreen shrub or small tree with irregular, strong upright stems that have limited branching.

[13][3][14][15][10][7] Berberis bealei is native to China (Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Zhejiang) and was brought to Europe in the 1800s.

[13] The shrub's ability to tolerate many sites, and the fact that birds disperse the berries, has allowed it to naturalize in parts of the United States.

Plants of the genus Berberis have long been used as medicine in China as a treatment for periodontitis, dysentery, tuberculosis and wounds.

Ripe fruit of Berberis bealei are too acidic to eat raw but can be mixed with sugars or other berries.

Also tolerates full sun (albeit often with some bleaching of foliage colors), but only in the cooler northern parts of its growing range.

[20] Suggested control methods include pulling the seedlings, cutting the mature plants to stumps repeatedly, and using herbicides.

[20] Berberis bealei is considered invasive in the Southeastern United States, specifically AL, GA, NC, SC, MI and TN.