Coffeeberry, Frangula californica

About Coffeeberry (Frangula californica) 89 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Coffeeberr (Frangula caylifornica) gets its name because its berries contain seeds that look like coffee beans. It is a fairly common plant native to California and southwestern Oregon.

This dense evergreen shrub has dark red branches. Its leaves are an attractive dark green with reddish tint. The flowers are inconspicuous, small and greenish-white with five petals; flowers are produced in clusters.

The plant is prized more for its fruit, which turns red, then purple, and finally black over the summer. It is valued by birds.

This plant is beautiful and easy to grow. It tolerates a wide variety of soil types and likes either full sun or part shade. It is moderately garden tolerant, and is OK with light summer water up to 2x per month.

Coffeeberry has a dense form and is easy to prune. It makes a great and fire resistant hedge. There are six subspecies, some of which are restricted to certain parts of its range or certain growing requirements. There are also several horticultural varieties including 'Eve Case' and 'Mound San Bruno'. Select one that best fits your locations and conditions.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

6 - 15 ft tall
5 - 15 ft wide

Form

Mounding, Rounded, Spreading

Growth Rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

None

Flower Color

Cream, Green, White

Flowering Season

Spring, Summer

Wildlife Supported

Various birds are attracted to the fruits and seeds
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 10 confirmed

, 23 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Gray Hairstreak Strymon melinusStrymon melinus

Pale Tiger Swallowtail Papilio eurymedonPapilio eurymedon

Ceanothus Silkmoth Hyalophora euryalusHyalophora euryalus

Elegant Sheepmoth Hemileuca eglanterinaHemileuca eglanterina

Orange Tortrix Moth Argyrotaenia franciscanaArgyrotaenia franciscana

Clepsis fucanaClepsis fucana

Midrib Gall Moth Sorhagenia nimbosaSorhagenia nimbosa

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture

Low, Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 89

Ease of Care

Very Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 10° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium

Soil Description

Tolerates a variety of soils, but some subspecies have specific soil affinities. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Common uses

Bank Stabilization, Hedges, Groundcovers, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants

Because the species is found in various habitats throughout the state and is tolerant of garden conditions, it can be combined with a wide variety of trees and shrubs.

Maintenance

Takes pruning well. Upright forms may be pruned to form a hedge.

Propagation?

Seeds or cuttings. For propagating by seed: Fresh seeds need no treatment; stored seeds 3 months stratification.

Natural Setting

Site Type

This species is found in a wide variety of settings and habitats across the state, including coastal strand, foothill woodland slopes, sage scrub flats, chaparral, evergreen forest in mountain areas, rocky outcrops, sandy areas, stream banks, pinyon-juniper woodland in desert transition, and creosote bush scrub in high desert

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 3.5" - 156.3", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 5.90", Coldest Month: 11.6" - 56.0", Hottest Month: 34.8" - 81.9", Humidity: 0.01" - 34.79", Elevation: -261" - 13935"

Alternative Names

Botanical Names: Rhamnus californica
Common Names: California Buckthorn

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Coffeeberry

Frangula californica

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Coffeeberry

Frangula californica