Flowering shrub

Japanese kerria

Kerria japonica

🌷 Flowering shrubIntroduced in the lower 48

Japanese kerria is a popular flowering shrub. It's on our flower lists for 38 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–August.

15states

38of our state lists

949U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 23, 2026. Planted garden shrubs are mostly excluded from research grade.

On our lists for: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Quick look

Kerria japonica, commonly known as Japanese kerria or Japanese rose, is a deciduous, yellow-flowering shrub in the rose family (Rosaceae), native to China and Japan. It is the only species in the genus Kerria. In the wild, it grows in thickets on mountain slopes. Japanese kerria has been used for medicine and is also planted in gardens. A double-flowered cultivar, K.
From Wikipedia's article Kerria japonica, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Rosaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 15 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 164 research-grade sightings of it in New York, ranking #125 among the 193 flowers on our New York list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 104 research-grade sightings of it in Washington, ranking #110 among the 187 flowers on our Washington list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 86 research-grade sightings of it in Pennsylvania, ranking #129 among the 190 flowers on our Pennsylvania list. ^iNaturalist

Japanese kerria gift ideas

Handmade japanese kerria gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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Japanese kerria art print
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Japanese kerria greeting card
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Japanese kerria mug
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Japanese kerria earrings
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Japanese kerria embroidery pattern
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Japanese kerria sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (93 records)

Bloom time in each of our 38 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
New York	🌷 Garden	few records	164
Washington	🌷 Garden	few records	104
Pennsylvania	🌷 Garden	few records	86
North Carolina	🌷 Garden	few records	62
Georgia	🌷 Garden	few records	53
Ohio	🌷 Garden	few records	53
Oregon	🌷 Garden	few records	51
Virginia	🌷 Garden	few records	47
Maryland	🌷 Garden	few records	43
Massachusetts	🌷 Garden	few records	36
Tennessee	🌷 Garden	few records	33
Alabama	🌷 Garden	few records	24
New Jersey	🌷 Garden	few records	23
Connecticut	🌷 Garden	few records	22
Michigan	🌷 Garden	few records	17
Missouri	🌷 Garden	few records	17
South Carolina	🌷 Garden	few records	15
Arkansas	🌷 Garden	few records	14
Illinois	🌷 Garden	few records	14
Indiana	🌷 Garden	few records	14
Maine	🌷 Garden	few records	11
Kentucky	🌷 Garden	few records	8
West Virginia	🌷 Garden	few records	8
Delaware	🌷 Garden	few records	6
New Hampshire	🌷 Garden	few records	5
Wisconsin	🌷 Garden	few records	4
California	🌷 Garden	few records	3
Mississippi	🌷 Garden	few records	3
Vermont	🌷 Garden	few records	3
Kansas	🌷 Garden	few records	1
Oklahoma	🌷 Garden	few records	1
Rhode Island	🌷 Garden	few records	1
Texas	🌷 Garden	few records	1
Colorado	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Louisiana	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Nebraska	🌷 Garden	few records	0
New Mexico	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Utah	🌷 Garden	few records	0

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
New York: Not listed Not on New York protected native plants (6 NYCRR § 193.3). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in New York. ^{6 NYCRR § 193.3}
Washington: No list Washington has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the Washington Natural Heritage Program's rare plant list isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Washington ranks instead. NatureServe has no Washington rank for it.
Pennsylvania: Not listed Not on Pennsylvania classified native plants (17 Pa. Code Ch. 45, Subchapter B, as amended 2023). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Pennsylvania. ^{17 Pa. Code Ch. 45}
North Carolina: Not listed Not on North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in North Carolina. ^{02 NCAC 48F .0301}
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe has no Georgia rank for it. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
Ohio: Not listed Not on Ohio endangered and threatened plants (Ohio Adm. Code 1501:18-1-03, eff. Dec. 26, 2024). NatureServe has no Ohio rank for it. ^{OAC 1501:18-1-03}
Oregon: Not listed Not on Oregon endangered and threatened plants (OAR 603-073-0070). NatureServe has no Oregon rank for it. ^{OAR 603-073-0070}
Virginia: Not listed Not on Virginia endangered and threatened plant and insect species (2VAC5-320-10). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Virginia. ^2VAC5-320-10
Maryland: Not listed Not on Maryland threatened and endangered plants (COMAR 08.03.08.05, .06 and .08). NatureServe has no Maryland rank for it. ^{COMAR 08.03.08}
Massachusetts: Not listed Not on Massachusetts Endangered Species Act list (321 CMR 10.90). NatureServe has no Massachusetts rank for it. ^{MESA list}
Tennessee: Not listed Not on Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Tennessee. ^{TN rule 0400-06-02-.04}
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Alabama.
New Jersey: Not listed Not on New Jersey Endangered Plant Species List (N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in New Jersey. ^{N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1}
Connecticut: Not listed Not on Connecticut Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Plants (RCSA 26-306; 2015 list). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Connecticut. ^{CT E/T/SC list}
Michigan: Not listed Not on Michigan endangered and threatened plants (Mich. Admin. Code R 299.1028, eff. March 20, 2023). NatureServe has no Michigan rank for it. ^{R 299.1028}
Missouri: Not listed Not on Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants. NatureServe has no Missouri rank for it. ^{3 CSR 10-4.111}
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe has no South Carolina rank for it.
Arkansas: No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead. NatureServe has no Arkansas rank for it.
Illinois: Not listed Not on Illinois List of Endangered and Threatened Flora (17 Ill. Adm. Code 1050), per the Endangered Species Protection Board's 2025 checklist. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Illinois. ^{IL E&T checklist 2025}
Indiana: No list Indiana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the DNR keeps a rare plant list, but it isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Indiana ranks instead. NatureServe has no Indiana rank for it.
Maine: Not listed Not on Maine Rare Plant List (Maine Natural Areas Program, 2021). E and T are Maine's official endangered and threatened plants (12 M.R.S.); SC and PE are tracking categories. NatureServe has no Maine rank for it. ^{Maine rare plant list}
Kentucky: Not listed Not on Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Kentucky. ^{400 KAR 3:040}
West Virginia: No list West Virginia has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (only federally listed species are protected), so we show NatureServe's West Virginia ranks instead. NatureServe has no West Virginia rank for it.
Delaware: Not listed Not on Rare and Uncommon Plants of Delaware (DNREC, 2024; informational, Delaware has no state plant-protection list). NatureServe has no Delaware rank for it. ^{DE rare plants 2024}
New Hampshire: Not listed Not on New Hampshire Official Rare Plants List (Ncr 312, eff. Jan 1, 2020). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in New Hampshire. ^{NH Ncr 312}
Wisconsin: Not listed Not on Wisconsin endangered and threatened species list (Wis. Admin. Code NR 27.03). NatureServe has no Wisconsin rank for it. ^{NR 27.03}
California: Not listed Not on California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026). NatureServe has no California rank for it. ^{CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)}
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe has no Mississippi rank for it.
Vermont: Not listed Not on Endangered and Threatened Plants of Vermont (10 V.S.A. chap. 123; list of Feb 10, 2022). NatureServe has no Vermont rank for it. ^{Vermont E&T list}
Kansas: No list Kansas's endangered and threatened list (K.A.R. 115-15-1) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's Kansas ranks for plants. NatureServe has no Kansas rank for it.
Oklahoma: No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe has no Oklahoma rank for it.
Rhode Island: Not listed Not on Rhode Island Rare Plants 2016 (RI Natural History Survey, from the RI Wildlife Action Plan; informational, Rhode Island has no state plant-protection listing law). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Rhode Island. ^{RI rare plants 2016}
Texas: Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe has no Texas rank for it. ^{31 TAC 69.8}
Colorado: No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead. NatureServe has no Colorado rank for it.
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe has no Louisiana rank for it.
Nebraska: Not listed Not on Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004). NatureServe has no Nebraska rank for it. ^{163 NAC 4-004}
New Mexico: Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe has no New Mexico rank for it. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Utah.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 23, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records Japanese kerria in 15 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia.

New York counties with USDA records: Orange, Queens, Suffolk.

Pennsylvania counties with USDA records: Allegheny, Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, Westmoreland.