Plant: Sacred Bamboo / Nandina Domestica

Nandina is an upright evergreen shrub in the barberry family from China and Japan, 3 to 8 feet tall and 2 to 5 feet wide, with bi to tripinnately compound leaves that run red bronze in spring, bluish green in summer and purplish red in fall. White panicles open in late spring and are followed by bright red berries that persist through winter. It takes sun to dappled shade, most soils and a wide pH range, and tolerates deer, drought, heavy shade and salt. Two cautions dominate: NC State lists it as an invasive species in North Carolina and recommends alternatives or sterile non fruiting cultivars, and every part is toxic, carrying cyanogenic glycosides that poison humans, cats, dogs, horses and birds.