Rhamnus crocea, Spiny Redberry

Spiny Redberry

A California Native that is a species of buckthorn.  A shrub that can reach a height of up to seven feet tall but typically exists within the two to six foot tall range. The leaves are spiny, small and thin with edible red berries.  Small white flowers bloom in the winter through spring.  Female plants produce red fruits that that birds love.  It is recommended to plant more than one to ensure pollination.  It is great for bank stabilization.  You can lightly pinch or prune at any time.  

Prune to shape in winter after all the berries are gone.

Plant with: Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia), Scrub Oak (Quercus berberidifolia), Woolly Bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum), Climbing Penstemon (Keckiella cordifolia), California Encelia (Encelia californica), California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), Coast Sagebrush (Artemisia californica), Sage (Salvia species), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos species), Yucca species, Dudleya species and cactus species

- Full sun to part shade

- Attracts butterflies, birds, and bees

- Drought tolerant once established

- Hardy up to 25 degrees

- Deer resistant

- Native to California