Kerria japonica: Country Or Region Of Origin
Central & Southern China to Southern Korea and Japan
Plant Profile: Kerria japonica
Taxonomy: Kerria japonicaNames
Japanese Kerria, Japanese Rose, Kerria
Phonetic Spelling:KER-ee-a juh-PON-ih-kuh
Genus:Kerria
Species:japonica
Family:Rosaceae
Japanese Kerria is a tall, sprawling deciduous shrub that can reach heights of up to 7 feet. It features slender, upright stems that gracefully arch, creating a lush, dense cluster of twigs. Best suited for shaded areas, this plant's flowers tend to diminish in brightness when exposed to full sunlight. It thrives in loamy, well-drained soil with moderate fertilization; however, excessive fertilization should be avoided as it can lead to a weedy appearance. Regular and substantial pruning is essential for maintaining its shape, and be aware that this plant may encounter issues with pests and diseases.
**Quick Identification Tips:**
Kerria japonica Feature Summary
Tags
#deciduous
#yellow
#green
#yellow flowers
#deciduous shrub
#shade garden
#playground
#cpp
#well-drained soil
#deer resistant
#children's garden
#pollinator plant
#fantz
#loamy soils tolerant
#partial shade tolerant
#pruning tolerant
Similar Plants
Kerria japonica Feature Summary
Attributes
Central & Southern China to Southern Korea and Japan
Flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies.
Deer resistant, drought tolerant
Perennial
Attracts Pollinators
Attractive Flowers
Flowers
Flowers are bright yellow in spring and are at the terminal end of short leafy stems of previous year's growth. There are usually 5 petals, but there is a double cultivar. Flowers are 2" in size.
Gold/Yellow
Spring
4-5 petals/rays
Saucer
1-3 inches
Leaves
Leaves are alternate, simple, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, cuneate, double serrate, and plicate. They are bright green and glabrous above and are paler and slightly pubescent below on the veins. In fall, some leaves turn yellow. They are 1 1/2"-4" long and a littler over 1" wide.
Deciduous
Green
Gold/Yellow
Simple
Alternate
Ovate
Lanceolate
Doubly Serrate
1-3 inches
Smooth
1-3 inches
Stem
Stems are slender, green, zig-zag, glabrous, glossy, supple, cane-like, suckering, and are branching in second season of growth.
Green
Smooth (glabrous)
Zig Zags
Whole Plant Traits
Shrub
Deciduous
Arching
Multi-stemmed
Erect
Dense
Medium
Medium
Fine
Cultural Conditions
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Good Drainage
Occasionally Dry
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
4a
4b
5b
5a
6a
6b
7a
7b
8b
8a
9a
9b
Loam (Silt)
Fruit
Achene
Landscape
Drought Tolerant Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Accent
Specimen
Drought
Deer
Recreational Play Area
Butterflies
Hummingbirds
Weedy
Frequent Disease Problems
Frequent Insect Problems
Kerria japonica Image Gallery
Kerria japonica Attributes
Kerria japonica: Wildlife Value
Flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies.
Kerria japonica: Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems)
Deer resistant, drought tolerant
Kerria japonica: Life Cycle
Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody
Kerria japonica: Play Value
Attractive Flowers
Attracts Pollinators
Buffer
Colorful
Defines Paths
Easy to Grow
Edible fruit
Fragrance
Pieces Used in Games
Screening
Shade
Sound
Textural
Wildlife Cover/Habitat
Wildlife Food Source
Wildlife Larval Host
Wildlife Nesting
Wind Break
Wind Shimmer
Kerria japonica Flowers
Kerria japonica: Flower Description
Flowers are bright yellow in spring and are at the terminal end of short leafy stems of previous year's growth. There are usually 5 petals, but there is a double cultivar. Flowers are 2" in size.
Kerria japonica: Flower Color
Gold/Yellow
Kerria japonica: Flower Value To Gardener
Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy
Kerria japonica: Flower Bloom Time
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Kerria japonica: Flower Petals
2-3 rays/petals
4-5 petals/rays
6 petals/rays
7 - 20 petals/rays
asymmetrical petals
Bracts
Colored Sepals
fused petals
more than 20 petals/rays
Tepals
Kerria japonica: Flower Shape
Bell
Cross
Crown
Cup
Dome
Funnel
Irregular
Lipped
Radial
Saucer
Star
Trumpet
Tubular
Urn
Wheel
Kerria japonica: Flower Size
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
< 1 inch
> 6 inches
Kerria japonica Leaves
Kerria japonica: Leaf Description
Leaves are alternate, simple, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, cuneate, double serrate, and plicate. They are bright green and glabrous above and are paler and slightly pubescent below on the veins. In fall, some leaves turn yellow. They are 1 1/2"-4" long and a littler over 1" wide.
Kerria japonica: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen
Kerria japonica: Leaf Color
Green
Kerria japonica: Deciduous Leaf Fall Color
Gold/Yellow
Kerria japonica: Leaf Type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple
Kerria japonica: Leaf Arrangement
Alternate
Opposite
Other/more complex
Rosulate
Whorled
Kerria japonica: Leaf Shape
Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate
Kerria japonica: Leaf Margin
Crenate
Crenulate
Dentate
Denticulate
Doubly Crenate
Doubly Dentate
Doubly Serrate
Entire
Lobed
Serrate
Sinuate
Undulate
Kerria japonica: Hairs Present
No
Yes
Kerria japonica: Leaf Length
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches
Kerria japonica: Leaf Feel
Fleshy
Glossy
Leathery
Papery
Prickly
Rough
Rubbery
Slippery
Smooth
Soft
Velvety
Waxy
Kerria japonica: Leaf Width
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches
Kerria japonica Stem
Kerria japonica: Stem Description
Stems are slender, green, zig-zag, glabrous, glossy, supple, cane-like, suckering, and are branching in second season of growth.
Kerria japonica: Stem Color
Green
Kerria japonica: Stem Is Aromatic
No
Yes
Kerria japonica: Stem Surface
Corky Ridges
Covered with a powdery bloom (glaucous)
Dull
Hairy (pubescent)
Polished
Smooth (glabrous)
Kerria japonica: Stem Form
Straight
Zig Zags
Kerria japonica Whole Plant Traits
Kerria japonica: Plant Type
Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower
Kerria japonica: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen
Kerria japonica: Habit/Form
Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping
Kerria japonica: Growth Rate
Slow
Medium
Rapid
Kerria japonica: Maintenance
Low
Medium
High
Kerria japonica: Texture
Fine
Medium
Coarse
Kerria japonica Cultural Conditions
Kerria japonica: Light
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Kerria japonica: Soil Drainage
Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry
Kerria japonica: Available Space To Plant
12 inches-3 feet
12-24 feet
24-60 feet
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Less than 12 inches
more than 60 feet
Kerria japonica: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone
4a
4b
5a
5b
6a
6b
7a
7b
8a
8b
9a
9b
Kerria japonica: Soil Texture
Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky
Kerria japonica Fruit
Kerria japonica: Fruit Type
Achene
Aggregate
Berry
Capsule
Caryopsis
Drupe
Follicle
Legume
Nut
Pome
Samara
Schizocarp
Siliqua
Kerria japonica Landscape
Kerria japonica: Landscape Theme
Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden
Kerria japonica: Design Feature
Accent
Barrier
Border
Flowering Tree
Foundation Planting
Hedge
Mass Planting
Screen/Privacy
Security
Shade Tree
Small groups
Small Tree
Specimen
Street Tree
Understory Tree
Kerria japonica: Resistance To Challenges
Black Walnut
Compaction
Deer
Diseases
Drought
Dry Soil
Erosion
Fire
Foot Traffic
Heat
Heavy Shade
Humidity
Insect Pests
Pollution
Poor Soil
Rabbits
Salt
Slugs
Squirrels
Storm damage
Urban Conditions
Voles
Wet Soil
Wind
Kerria japonica: Landscape Location
Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland
Kerria japonica: Attracts
Bats
Bees
Butterflies
Frogs
Hummingbirds
Moths
Pollinators
Predatory Insects
Reptiles
Small Mammals
Songbirds
Specialized Bees
Kerria japonica: Problems
Allelopathic
Contact Dermatitis
Frequent Disease Problems
Frequent Insect Problems
Invasive Species
Malodorous
Messy
Poisonous to Humans
Problem for Cats
Problem for Children
Problem for Dogs
Problem for Horses
Short-lived
Spines/Thorns
Weak Wood
Weedy
