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Frangula californica

coffeeberry

Rhamnaceae

California and western United States

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies Deer Resistant Drought Tolerant Container Friendly

Native to North America

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterLow · drought-tolerant

HardinessZones 7–10

Overview

Frangula californica is an evergreen shrub native to California and adjacent parts of the western United States, common in chaparral, oak woodland, and coastal scrub. It grows 3-15 feet (0.9-4.5 m) tall and wide, with a rounded, densely branched form that varies from low and compact near the coast to tall and open inland. The leathery leaves are 1-3 inches (2.5-7.5 cm) long, elliptic, and glossy dark green above, often with reddish stalks and paler undersides. Small greenish-white flowers cluster in the leaf axils from spring into summer, drawing many bees and other insects. The flowers form round berries about 0.3-0.5 inch (8-12 mm) across that ripen from green through red to black, the multi-colored fruit behind the common name coffeeberry. The berries feed birds and mammals, and the seeds resemble coffee beans, though the plant is unrelated to true coffee. It grows in full sun to part shade on a wide range of well-drained soils and tolerates drought once established, needing no summer water in its native climate. It takes pruning and shaping readily. Poor drainage and heavy summer irrigation are the main causes of decline.

Native Range

Native to California and into Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, and Baja California. It grows in chaparral, oak and mixed woodland, coastal sage scrub, and canyon slopes, from the coast into the foothills and mountains.

Suggested Uses

Used as an evergreen screen, hedge, informal shrub, and wildlife planting in dry gardens. It suits chaparral and native plant gardens, slopes, and low-water landscapes, with compact selections grown in smaller spaces.

How to Identify

Identified by leathery, glossy dark green elliptic leaves, often with reddish stalks, on a rounded evergreen shrub. Berries pass through green, red, and black as they ripen, so several colors appear on the plant at once. The mixed-color fruit and chaparral habitat help confirm it.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height3' - 15'

Width/Spread4' - 12'

Reaches mature size in approximately 8 years

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~8 weeks

Spring Summer

Greenish-white flowers open in small axillary clusters from April through June. The blooms are tiny and inconspicuous but heavily visited by bees and other insects. Berries follow through summer, ripening from green to red to black into autumn.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

Dark green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 4-10 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range6.0 - 7.5(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam sand clay rocky

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Low

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

5-10 years

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grows in full sun to part shade on well-drained soils, including poor and rocky ground, and tolerates clay where drainage is adequate. It is hardy in USDA zones 7-10 and survives long summer drought once established, asking for no irrigation in a Mediterranean climate. Summer water on heavy soil causes root rot, the main cause of failure in gardens. It takes shearing and renewal pruning, so it adapts to hedging or a natural form. A spring mulch conserves moisture while the shrub establishes. Coastal forms stay lower and denser than the taller inland plants.

Pruning

Prune in late winter or early spring to shape the shrub or maintain a hedge, since it resprouts readily from cuts. Dead or crossing branches can be removed at any time. Shearing creates a formal outline, while light thinning keeps the natural rounded habit.