Nandina

Nandina (pronounced: nan-DEE'-nə) is a shrub that is native to Asia, but was introduced to the Western world in the 1800s. Its scientific name is: Nandina domestica. The flowers on the plant appear, only briefly, for a week or so during the summer and are rather small — not much bigger than the eraser on the end of a pencil. I find the flowers to be of a very interesting appearance, quite unlike most flowers that bloom in the yard!

In warmer climates, Nandina thrives as an evergreen shrub, which is why it is often chosen for gardens. In colder climates, however, it can lose its leaves in the autumn as deciduous plants do. In the Carolinas region of the US, our Nandina shrubs have green leaves, year round.

Besides the short-lived, yet pretty, little flowers, the most striking thing about the plant is the appearance of bed berries in late summer. They're not edible, but poisonous if ingested. In fact, all portions of the plant are poisonous.

Because of this, birds and squirrels leave the berries alone, and they often stay on the bush all through the winter, only falling off if hit with high winds. In the spring, they naturally wither and fall away, making way for another cycle of flowers and fresh berries.

Since all parts of the plant are poisonous, the only redeeming quality it has for gardeners is the evergreen leaves, although scientists have used the plant in research and for naturally-occurring alkaloids used in medical and scientific research.