Leaf
Alain Bigou, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Kerria
Kerria japonica (L.) DC.
Also known as: Japanese kerria, Japanese rose, Jew's mallow
Family: Rosaceae
1 to 2 m tall
Borders, informal hedges, ordinary soils
Flowering: April – May
Full sun
Part shade
Hardy to -20°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its stems stay green all year, bringing colour to the garden even in winter.
🍃 Leaves
Deciduous, ovate, toothed, bright green
🌸 Flowers
Single yellow flowers in the botanical form, often double in garden cultivars; double flowers are less favourable to pollinators.
🍎 Fruits
Small dry achenes, hardly visible
🪵 Bark
Young twigs green, supple and arching, often staying green in winter; old twigs becoming more woody and brownish.
🗺️ Distribution
China, Japan; widely grown in France as an ornamental, not wild.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Single yellow flowers (wild form) bearing nectar, visited by bees in spring; double-flowered cultivars are sterile.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Planted in borders or along walls for its early bright yellow flowering.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity.
🌱 Known cultivars
'Pleniflora'
The 'Pleniflora' cultivar produces double flowers shaped like small bright yellow pompons, quite different from the single five-petalled flowers of the type species.
🌿 Other Rosaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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