Frangula californica

$8.50 – $35.00

We do not take online orders for plants. Please come in to the nursery, call or email: (510) 234-2222 or sales@thewatershednursery.com

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California coffeeberry

An evergreen shrub that grows fast to 6-8’.  It is called coffeeberry because its berries contain seeds which look like coffee beans.

Coffeeberry is an excellent foliage plant with showy fruit. It’s branches take on a beautiful reddish color and has beautiful deep green lustrous leaves, well suited to pruning and landscape work.  This makes it an excellent choice for an informal hedge or to create a screen.

Tiny flowers attract hummingbirds and native bees in spring. Berries go from green to red to chocolate in fall, and are consumed eagerly by birds.

Great for a bird garden and butterfly garden.

Previously named Rhamnus californica

Sun: Full Sun, Part Shade

Water: Dry, Light, Moderate

Soil: Clay, Loam, Sand, Rocky

Other: Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Bees, Attracts Birds, Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant

 

Ecological Value

Caterpillar food source for the Gray Hairstreak and Pale Swallowtail and nectar source for many other butterflies. Berries are food source for many birds, including band-tailed pigeon.
Container

1-Gal-O, 2-Gal, 2-Gal-O, 5-Gal-O, D-16-O, D-40-O, TB4-O, TP4-O, 1-Gal, 5-Gal, 5-GalS, D-16, D-40, D-40S, TB4, TP4
Historical Uses

The fruit is edible and sweet and was gathered by Native Americans for both food and medicinal uses. The bark has laxative properties similar to its relative cascara.
Distribution

native to California and is also found outside of California, but is confined to western North America.
Elevation

Between 0 and 7545 feet
Communities
Habitat

Canyons, coastal, slopes. Found in sandy and rocky places along the coast

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