California Coffeeberry (Frangula californica ssp. californica) Login         


        Description
  • Height to 15 ft.
  • CA Bloom Apr - Jun
  • Leaves are evergreen, about 3 inches long, pointed, and have a strong central vein.
  • Berries are a variety of colors, finishing at red or black at maturity.
  • Stems are often red
  • CA native. Endemic to California.
  • Common along the Franscican trail between posts 11 and 16.
  • AKA Coffeeberry
  • Buckthorn Family (Rhamnaceae)



Coffeeberry is a dense shrub, often darker green than the surrounding plants. Look for shiny narrow leaves.



Flowers, and later berries, nestle at the base of the leaves, which are long and pointed.



Berries are round, and end up being red or black.

   Photo Gallery (32 ) click any picture to enlarge
    

New branches are often red. Leaves are dark green, 3 or 4 inches long, and pointed at the tip.

The top side of the leaf is dark, shiny green. The leaf often has small serrations you can feel if you run your hand along it. The similar Toy ...

The underside is a paler, but still bright green. Secondary veins bend toward the tip of the leaf as they approach the margin.

5 to 50 flowers cluster on short stalks in the [[leaf axils]]. They're small - about 1/8" across.

The outer 5 points of this flower are [[sepals]]. They surround 5 shorter all-white petals, which are offset from the sepals.