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Rhus integrifolia

lemonade berry

Anacardiaceae

Coastal Southern California and Baja California

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies Deer Resistant Drought Tolerant

Native to North America

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterLow · drought-tolerant

HardinessZones 9–11

Overview

Rhus integrifolia, lemonade berry, is an evergreen shrub of the coastal bluffs and canyons of southern California and Baja California, usually 3-10 feet (0.9-3 m) tall but reaching 30 feet (9 m) as a small tree in sheltered sites. It forms a dense, rounded mound of stiff branches clothed in leathery, dark green leaves that are oval, 1-2.5 inches (2.5-6 cm) long, flat or slightly folded, and sometimes toothed. Clusters of small pink to white flowers open from winter into spring at the branch tips. These give way to flattened reddish berries coated in sticky, glandular hairs and a tart, acidic film; soaked in water they make a lemonade-like drink, the source of the common name. The shrub tolerates drought, salt spray, and poor soils once established and resprouts after fire from a woody base. It is sensitive to hard frost and is damaged below about 20F (-7C), which restricts it to mild coastal and near-coastal gardens. Its eventual width and dense growth call for room and occasional thinning.

Native Range

Native to the coastal sage scrub and chaparral of southern California and Baja California, Mexico, mostly within a few miles of the ocean. It grows on bluffs, canyon slopes, and dunes.

Suggested Uses

Used for informal screens, clipped hedges, bank stabilization, and habitat plantings in coastal and dry-climate gardens. It suits seaside sites for its salt tolerance and serves in fire-resprouting native landscapes. Its size suits larger spaces or hedging rather than small beds.

How to Identify

Recognize it by leathery, flat or slightly cupped evergreen leaves that are oval with entire or finely toothed margins, darker and duller than the folded leaves of the related sugar bush Rhus ovata. Dense clusters of pink-tinged buds open to small pale flowers in late winter. The fruit is a flattened, sticky red berry with an acidic coating.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height3' - 10'

Width/Spread8' - 15'

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~8 weeks

Winter Spring

Flowering runs from winter into spring, roughly February to May, with pink buds opening to small white-to-pink flowers. Coastal warmth can bring earlier bloom. Sticky red berries follow through spring and summer.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

pink to white

Foliage Description

dark green, leathery

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 6-10 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 - 8.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam sand clay rocky

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Low

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

3-5 years to mature size

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Rhus integrifolia grows in full sun to light shade on well-drained soils, including sandy, rocky, and clay ground, and tolerates salt wind. Once established it needs little or no summer water and rots if overwatered in heavy soil. It withstands hard pruning and resprouts from the base, which makes it useful for clipped hedges and screens in mild climates. Frost below about 20F (-7C) burns the foliage, so it is grown only in low-frost areas. It needs no feeding in native soils. Berries and leaf litter drop beneath the canopy.

Pruning

Prune after flowering to shape the shrub, thin crowded branches, or maintain a hedge, since it tolerates hard cutting and resprouts. Take out frost-damaged growth once new shoots appear in spring. Little routine pruning is needed for an informal form.

✓ Toxicity

Non-toxic