N.C. State University professor Thomas Ranney received on Tuesday a patent for a new type of outdoor shrub.

The P3 patent is for a new and distinct Berberis plant, which are normally produced as outdoor garden plants.

The newly-patented plant is a Berberis cultivar, called NCBT1. It has purple foliage and a distinctively compact and round plant habit. NCBT1 also has a very low female fertility.

Ranney’s research centers on evaluation and improvement of new crops, including development of new nursery and bioenergy crops, enhancing production efficiency and quality and basic research in plant science, cytogenetics and reproductive biology.

Ranney is currently a professor of horticultural science and lives in the mountains of western North Carolina, where he leads NC State research at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center.

The program focuses on the development of bioenergy crops that involve searching for plants that further plant breeding and economic innovation and opportunities.

Last year, Ranney received a patent for a new type of magnolia tree.