Frangula (syn. Rhamnus) californica ssp. occidentalis, California Coffeeberry

A native, this chaparral shrub comes from the dry slopes and woodlands of Southern Oregon and Northern California. A fast-growing evergreen, it can soon reach 10 ft tall, nice as a hedge or screen, or it can stay low and spreading depending on where it is planted. When sheltered it can grow to 26 feet wide! Feel free to judiciously prune. The contrast of the young red bark and lustrous dark green leaves is handsome indeed, and small, yellow-green flowers bloom in the leaf axils from early to mid-spring. The resulting conspicuous fruit progresses from light yellow to red to black. The small flowers are total bee magnets--seriously there will be masses of bees on these things! Also a food source for the pale swallowtail butterfly larvae.

Mature size: 8-10 ft T x 10+ ft W (depending on conditions)