View source for Nandina

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants belonging to the barberry family}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = ''Nandina domestica''
| image = Nandina domestica cv Otafukunante1.jpg
| image_caption =
| genus = Nandina
| parent_authority = [[Carl Peter Thunberg|Thunb.]]
| species = domestica
| authority = [[Carl Peter Thunberg|Thunb.]]
}}

'''''Nandina domestica''''' ({{IPAc-en|n|æ|n|ˈ|d|iː|n|ə}} {{respell|nan|DEE|nə}}){{efn|(or nan-DEE-nuh) ''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607}}{{efn|Oxford English Dictionary.<ref>{{OED|''Nandina''}}</ref>}}{{efn|The unexpected pronunciation {{IPA|/iː/}} approximates the Japanese ''nanten''.}} commonly known as '''nandina''', '''heavenly bamboo''' or '''sacred bamboo''', is a [[species]] of [[flowering plant]] in the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Berberidaceae]], [[native plant|native]] to eastern Asia from the Himalayas to Japan. It is the only member of the [[monotypic]] genus '''''Nandina'''''. It is widely grown in [[garden]]s as an [[ornamental plant]] with a number of [[cultivars]] 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,<ref>{{cite web | title=Nandina Berries Kill Birds|first=Jerry W.|last= Davis| website=Audubon Arkansas | date=28 January 2016 | url=https://ar.audubon.org/news/nandina-berries-kill-birds | access-date=17 December 2020}}</ref> especially towards the end of the winter when other food sources become scarce.<ref name=":0" />

The Latin genus name ''Nandina'' is derived from the [[Japanese language|Japanese]] name {{nihongo||南天|nanten}}.<ref name="gledhill">Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|9780521866453}} (hardback), {{ISBN|9780521685535}} (paperback).  pp 145, 268</ref> The [[specific epithet]] ''domestica'' means 'domesticated', or 'of the household'.<ref name="gledhill" />

==Description==
[[File:Nandina domestica berries-5142~2016 01 03.JPG|thumb]]
Despite the common name "sacred bamboo", it is not a [[bamboo]] but an erect [[evergreen]] shrub up to {{convert|2|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} tall by {{convert|1.5|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} wide, with numerous, usually unbranched stems growing from ground level. The glossy [[leaf|leaves]] are sometimes [[deciduous]] in colder areas, {{convert|50|-|100|cm|0|abbr=on}} long, bi- or tri-[[pinnate]]ly compound, with the individual leaflets {{convert|4|-|11|cm|0|abbr=on}} long and 1.5–3&nbsp;cm broad. 
[[File:2021-06-22 17 24 35 Heavenly Bamboo flowers along Franklin Farm Road in the Franklin Farm section of Oak Hill, Fairfax County, Virginia.jpg|thumb|Flowers]]
[[Image:20200521115147 ed1.jpg|right|thumb|220px|Flower buds repel rainwater.]]
[[File:20200729100343 ed1.jpg|alt=Nanten leaves also repel rainwater.|thumb|Nanten leaves also repel rainwater.]]

The young leaves in spring are brightly coloured pink to red before turning green; old leaves turn red or purple again before falling. Its [[petiole (botany)|petiolate]] leaves are 50–100&nbsp;cm long, compound (two or three pinnacles) with leaflets, elliptical to ovate or [[lanceolate]] and of entire margins, 2–10&nbsp;cm long by 0.5–2&nbsp;cm wide, with petioles swollen at their bases.

The [[inflorescence]]s are axillary or terminally erect [[panicle]]s with numerous [[Plant reproductive morphology#Flowering plants|hermaphrodite flowers]]. There are several [[Glossary of botanical terms#ovate|ovate]]-oblong sepals of a pinkish white color, and six oblong white petals, each 4 by 2.5&nbsp;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&nbsp;mm diameter, ripening in late autumn and often persisting through the winter.

==Garden history and cultivation==
[[File:Nandina domestica cv Otafukunanten.jpg|thumb|Leaves changing colour with season]]
[[File:Plant-nandina-domestica-IMGP1261reduced.jpg|thumb|Dwarf cultivar]]
''N. domestica'', grown in Chinese and Japanese gardens for centuries, was brought to Western gardens by [[William Kerr (gardener)|William Kerr]], who sent it to London in his first consignment from [[Guangzhou|Canton]], in 1804.<ref name="Coats1964">Alice M. Coats, ''Garden Shrubs and Their Histories'' (1964) 1992, ''s.v.'' "Nandina".</ref> English breeders, unsure of its [[hardiness (plants)|hardiness]], kept it in greenhouses at first. The scientific name given to it by [[Carl Peter Thunberg]] is a Latinized version of a Japanese name for the plant, ''nan-ten''.<ref name="Coats1964"/> Over 65 [[cultivar]]s have been named in Japan, where the species is particularly popular and a national Nandina society exists. In [[Shanghai]] berried sprays of nandina are sold in the streets at New Year, for the decoration of house altars and temples.<ref name="Coats1964"/>
<!-- The species <ref>http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=3457 {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref> and the cultivar 'Fire Power'<ref>http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=1306 {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref> have gained the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]'s [[Award of Garden Merit]]. AGM no longer listed (2013) -->

Nandina does not berry profusely in Great Britain, but it can be grown in [[United States Department of Agriculture|USDA]] [[hardiness zones]] 6–10 with some cultivars hardy into zone 5. Nandina can take heat and cold, from {{convert|-10| to |110|F|C|abbr=on}}. It generally needs no pruning, but can spread via underground runners and can be difficult to remove.

Nandina is extremely [[#Toxicity|toxic]] to birds<ref>[https://www.thetimesnews.com/article/20141128/Business/311289868 "Why birds don't eat nandina berries"] by Rett Davis, ''The Times News'', 28 November 2014.</ref> and mammals.<ref name=":0">[https://ar.audubon.org/news/nandina-berries-kill-birds "Nandina Berries Kill Birds Popular garden shrub berries are toxic to birds and other animals"], by Jerry W. Davis, Audubon Arkansas, 28 January 2016.</ref> 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 [[Maroon|vivid red]].<ref>[https://www.ozbreed.com.au/plant-ranges/hardy-exotic-range/blush-nandina-is-a-low-shrub-with-red-growth-for-most-of-the-year-hardy-exotic-range/ Blush™ Nandina domestica]</ref>
*''Fire Power'' – Height of 2 to 2 1/2 feet tall, is so-named for its impressive red fall and winter foliage.<ref name="homeguides">[https://homeguides.sfgate.com/different-types-nandina-shrubs-42890.html What Are the Different Types of ''Nandina'' Shrubs?]</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 (color)|turquoise]] in summer, then turn orange-red in fall.<ref name="homeguides"/>
*''Lemon Lime'' – Yellowish green spring foliage that transforms to [[Chartreuse (color)|chartreuse]] in summer.<ref name="homeguides"/>
*''Moon Bay'' – Dense and upright reaching 1m, its diamond-shaped leaves (which are similar to Gulfstream) change seasonally from lime green, red, [[apricot (color)|apricot]] and [[Burgundy (color)|burgundy]].{{efn|[https://www.plantmark.com.au/nandina-moon-bay-14cm ''Nandina'' Moon Bay 14cm]}}
*''Moyer's Red'' –  A semi dwarf type that grows 4 to 6 feet tall that features light-pink flowers.{{efn|[https://plantlust.com/plants/10916/nandina-domestica-moyers-red/ ''Nandina domestica'' 'Moyer's Red']}}
*''Nana'' – A dwarf variety suited for a low hedge, it features foliage that turns into [[lime green]] to [[crimson]] red and scarlet-bronze tones in the cooler months.{{efn|[https://www.australianplantsonline.com.au/nandina-domestica-nana-sacred-bamboo.html ''Nandina Nana'']}}
*''Obsession'' – Related to the above, it grows 2 to 2 1/2 feet tall and wide and features [[scarlet (color)|scarlet]] spring and fall foliage.<ref name="homeguides"/>
*''Royal Princess'' – Reaching up to 8 feet tall, this displays [[Blush (color)|blush-coloured]] blooms.<ref name="homeguides"/>
*''Sienna Sunrise'' – Growing 3–4 feet tall, it features glaring red foliage with red highlights in fall.<ref name="homeguides"/>

==Toxicity==
All parts of the plant are [[poisonous]], containing compounds that decompose<ref>Abrol, Y. P.; Conn, E. E.; Stoker, J. R. (1966) “Studies on the identification, biosynthesis and metabolism of a cyanogenic glucoside in ''Nandina domestica'' Thunb.”.  Phytochemistry 5(5):1021–1027 doi:10.1016/S0031-9422(00)82800-9</ref><ref>Olechno, J. D.; Poulton, J. E.; Conn, E. E. “Nandinin: An acylated free cyanohydrin from ''Nandina domestica''”. (1984) Phytochemistry 23(8):1784–1785 doi:10.1016/S0031-9422(00)83491-3</ref> to produce [[hydrogen cyanide]], 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension Service Poisonous Plants of North Carolina|url=http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/Nandido.htm|access-date=2 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111235311/http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/Nandido.htm|archive-date=11 November 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Excessive consumption of the berries will kill birds such as [[cedar waxwings]],<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Feeding Behavior-Related Toxicity due to Nandina domestica in Cedar Waxwings (''Bombycilla cedrorum'') |last1=Woldemeskel |first1=Moges |last2=Styer |first2=Eloise L. |date=2010 |journal=Veterinary Medicine International |volume=2010 |page=818159 |language=en |doi=10.4061/2010/818159 |pmc=3005831 |pmid=21197466 |doi-access=free }}</ref> because they are subject to cyanide toxicosis, resulting in death to multiple individuals at one time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.decaturish.com/2017/03/invasive-bushes-in-decatur-killing-cedar-waxwings/|title=Invasive bushes in Decatur killing cedar waxwings|date=3 March 2017}}</ref>

The berries also contain alkaloids such as [[nantenine]], which is used in scientific research as an antidote to [[MDMA|MDMA (ecstasy)]].<ref name="pmid14740148">{{cite journal |vauthors=Fantegrossi WE, Kiessel CL, Leach PT, Van Martin C, Karabenick RL, Chen X, Ohizumi Y, Ullrich T, Rice KC, Woods JH |title=Nantenine: an antagonist of the behavioral and physiological effects of MDMA in mice |journal=Psychopharmacology |volume=173 |issue=3–4 |pages=270–7 |date=May 2004 |pmid=14740148 |doi=10.1007/s00213-003-1741-2 |hdl=2027.42/46360 |s2cid=8425621 |url=https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46360/1/213_2003_Article_1741.pdf |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref name="pmid19328689">{{cite journal |vauthors=Chaudhary S, Pecic S, Legendre O, Navarro HA, Harding WW |title=(+/-)-Nantenine analogs as antagonists at human 5-HT(2A) receptors: C1 and flexible congeners |journal=Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters |volume=19 |issue=9 |pages=2530–2 |date=May 2009 |pmid=19328689 |doi=10.1016/j.bmcl.2009.03.048 |pmc=2677726}}</ref>

==Status as an invasive species==
''Nandina'' is considered invasive in North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tneppc.org/invasive_plants/103 |title=Tneppc |access-date=31 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223062350/http://www.tneppc.org/invasive_plants/103 |archive-date=23 December 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  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 County, Florida|Gadsden]], [[Leon County, Florida|Leon]], [[Jackson County, Florida|Jackson]], [[Alachua County, Florida|Alachua]] and [[Citrus County, Florida|Citrus]] counties, in conservation areas, woodlands and floodplains.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/node/281 |title=''Nandina'' |publisher=Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants, [[University of Florida]] |access-date=24 December 2010}}</ref>  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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mda.maryland.gov/plants-pests/Pages/maryland_invasive_plants_prevention_and_control.aspx |title=Maryland Invasive Plants Prevention and Control |publisher=Maryland Department of Agriculture, [[Maryland Department of Agriculture]] |access-date=23 May 2017}}</ref>

Although grown extensively in Texas because of its tolerance for dry conditions, fruiting varieties of ''Nandina'' are considered invasive there.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=NADO|title = Texas Invasives}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wildflower.org/expert/show.php?id=5184|title = Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - the University of Texas at Austin}}</ref> 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 [[rhizome|rhizomatous]] underground stems.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Nandina_Blooms.jpg|Flowers
Image:(MAD)_N._domestica_-_fl_-_03.jpg|Flower
Image:(MAD)_N._domestica_-_fr_-_06.jpg|Fruits
Image:Ranunculales_-_Nandina_domestica_2.jpg|Fruiting shrub
Image: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
</gallery>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons|Nandina domestica|''Nandina domestica''}}
* Huxley, A., ed. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary of Gardening'' 3: 284–285. Macmillan.
* [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=200008408 Flora of North America: ''Nandina domestica''] (deals with the species as an introduced plant)
* [http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Nandina+domestica ''Nandina domestica'' database]
* [https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/nandina-domestica/ ''Nandina domestica'' information]
* [https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/profile/sacred-bamboo Species Profile - Sacred Bamboo (''Nandina domestica'')], National Invasive Species Information Center, [[United States National Agricultural Library]]
* [http://www.brighterblooms.com/product/domestica-nandina.html Heavenly Bamboo] information and resources

{{Berberidaceae genera}}
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q6037736|from2=Q1153858}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Flora of Asia]]
[[Category:Berberidaceae genera]]
[[Category:Monotypic Ranunculales genera]]
[[Category:Berberidaceae]]
[[Category:Garden plants]]
[[Category:Ornamental plants]]