| Rhamnus californica | |
|---|---|
| Rhamnus californica ssp californica | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rhamnaceae |
| Genus: | Rhamnus |
| Subgenus: | Frangula |
| Species: | R. californica |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhamnus californica Eschsch. |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Frangula californica |
|
Rhamnus californica (syn. Frangula californica (Eschsch.) A.Gray), is called coffeeberry because its berries contain seeds which look like coffee beans—it is also called California buckthorn. It is a common plant native to California and southwestern Oregon.
Contents |
Coffeeberry plants grown in windy or exposed areas usually do not exceed 1–2 metres (3.3–6.6 ft) in height or width, but individuals growing in inland areas or sheltered canyons can spread to 8 metres (26 ft) wide. The plant is found in shrubby coastal chaparral areas, foothill slopes, and oak woodlands in most regions in California west of the Sierra Nevada, and at altitudes of up to 2,300 metres (7,500 ft). It is also naturalized on the island of Hawaiʻi.
Rhamnus californica is an evergreen shrub growing to 2–5 metres (6.6–16 ft) tall, with dark red branches. The leaves are 2–8 cm long, dark, dull green, and curl under at the edges. The flowers are small and greenish-white with five petals; they are produced in clusters of 5-60 together. The fruit is a berry 10–15 mm diameter, which turns red, then purple and finally black over the summer. The fruit is edible and sweet and was gathered by Native Americans for both food and medicinal uses. [1]
Coffeeberry is susceptible to the fungus which causes sudden oak death.
There are two subspecies:
Cultivars include:
Some local native tribes used coffeeberry as an herbal laxative, but only in small quantities since the laxative effects of the plant, as with several other Rhamnus species, are quite powerful and even dangerous.