Frangula californica (previously classified as Rhamnus californica) is a species of flowering plant in the buckthorn family native to western North America.[3][4][5] It produces edible fruits and seeds.[6] It is commonly known as California coffeeberry and California buckthorn.
The plant occurs in oak woodland and chaparral habitats, numerous others in its range.[7] Individual plants can live an estimated 100 to 200 years.[8]
Description
Frangula californica is a shrub 0.9–3.7 metres (3–12 ft) tall.[7] It is variable in form across subspecies. In favorable conditions the plant can develop into a small tree over 3.7 metres (12 ft) tall.[3] More commonly it is a shrub between 0.9–1.8 metres (3–6 ft) tall.[3]
The branches may have a reddish tinge and the new twigs are often red in color. The alternately arranged evergreen leaves are dark green above and paler on the undersides. The leaves have thin blades in moist habitat, and smaller, thicker blades in dry areas.
Inflorescence and fruit
The 1/8" greenish flowers occur in clusters in the leaf axils, have 5 sepals, and 5 shorter petals.[7] It blooms in May and June.[7] The fruit is a juicy drupe which may be green, red, or black. It is just under a centimeter long and contains two seeds that resemble coffee beans.
Frangula californica subsp. californica in flowerRipening fruit
Frangula californica subsp. californica — California coffeeberry; widespread in western California. Fruit with two seeds; twigs red; leaves with conspicuous veins.[10][11]
Frangula californica subsp. occidentalis — Western California coffeeberry; on serpentine soils in northern California and southwestern Oregon, in the Klamath Mountains and North California Coast Ranges. Fruit with three seeds; twigs brown; leaves with inconspicuous veins.[14][15]
The plant reproduces sexually by seed and vegetatively by sprouting. After wildfire or cutting, the plant generally resprouts from its root crown. Reproduction via seed is most common in mature stands of the plant. It produces seeds by 2 or 3 years of age. Seeds are mature in the fall. Seed dispersal is often performed by birds, which are attracted to the fruit; some plants are so stripped of fruit by birds that hardly any seeds fall below the parent plant.[8]
This long-lived plant is persistent and becomes a dominant species in many habitat types, such as coastal woodlands. In the absence of wildfire, the shrub can grow large, with a wide spread that can shade out other flora. When fire occurs, the plant can be very damaged but it readily resprouts from the surviving root crown, which is covered in buds for the purpose. It reaches its pre-burn size relatively quickly.[8]
Parts of the plant, including the foliage and fruit, are food for wild animals such as mule deer, black bears, and many resident and migrating birds, as well as livestock.[8]
Two insects induce galls on California coffeeberry: a moth, Sorhagenia nimbosa, induces swelling along the leaf midrib, and a midge of the genus Asphondylia induces flower-bud galls.[19]
It is also used for erosion control, and is usually deer resistant.[8][21] As a pollinator plant it is of special value to native butterflies and bees.[20][24]
Cultivars
Cultivars of the species, for use as an ornamental plant, include:[25]
Frangula (Rhamnus) californica 'Eve Case' — Eve Case coffeeberry; smaller and more compact (3-6' H x 3-4' W), with denser foliage and larger berries than other species.[22][26] Introduced by the Saratoga Horticultural Foundation in 1975.[27]
Frangula (Rhamnus) californica 'Leatherleaf' — Leatherleaf coffeeberry; with black-green foliage.[28]
Frangula (Rhamnus) californica 'Mount San Bruno' — smaller leaves, more dense and compact, particularly tolerant of garden conditions.[22][29]
Frangula (Rhamnus) californica ‘Seaview’ — a ground cover variety.[22]
Closeup of flower.
Food and medicine
The berries are sometimes eaten, and the seeds inside have been used to make coffee substitute with limited success. The berries are edible according to the USDA. [30] However, the bark of cascara, another member of the genus Frangula, is toxic.[31]
The Ohlone people use the leaves to treat poison oak dermatitis.[32] The Kumeyaay people had similar uses for its bark.[32] The Kawaiisu used the fruit to treat wounds such as burns.[32] The bark has been widely used as a laxative by the indigenous peoples.[32]
^IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group.; Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). (2020). "Frangula californica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T126609466A156820870. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T126609466A156820870.en. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
^ a bFrangula californica. NatureServe. 2012.
^ a b c dJepson (TJM2): Frangula californica . accessed 4.5.2015
^ a b c dFlowering Plants of the Santa Monica Mountains, revised 2000, p. 168
^ a b c d e f g hMcMurray, N. E. 1990. Rhamnus californica. In: Fire Effects Information System. USDA FS. Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.
^ a bCalflora: Frangula californica − Subspecies and Varieties
^Russo, Ronald A. (2021). Plant Galls of the Western United States. Princeton University Press. p. 242. doi:10.1515/9780691213408. ISBN 978-0-691-21340-8. LCCN 2020949502. OCLC 1239984577. S2CID 238148746.
^ a bNPIN—Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Frangula californica (California buckthorn, California Coffeeberry)
^ a bLas Pilitas Horticulture Database: Frangula (Rhamnus) californica (Coffeeberry)
^ a b c d"California Native Plant Society, "Gardening with Natives" blog: Frangula californica (California Coffeeberry)". 23 June 2023. Archived from the original on 9 May 2019.
^Native Plants Network.org: Protocol Information for: Frangula californica
^"Theodore Payne Foundation: Frangula (Rhamnus) californica". Archived from the original on 2017-12-04. Retrieved 2015-04-05.
^California Native Plants for the Garden. Bornstein, Carol, David Fross, and Bart O'Brien. Los Olivos, CA: Cachuma Press. 2005.
^"Theodore Payne Foundation — California Natives Wiki: Frangula (Rhamnus) californica 'Eve Case'". Archived from the original on 2017-12-04. Retrieved 2015-04-05.
^Arno, Stephen F.; Hammerly, Ramona P. (2020) [1977]. Northwest Trees: Identifying & understanding the region's native trees (field guide ed.). Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books. pp. 262–266. ISBN 978-1-68051-329-5. OCLC 1141235469.
^ a b c d eUniversity of Michigan, Dearborn − Native American Ethnobotany: Frangula californica . accessed 23 June 2023
^Chesnut, V. K. (1902). Plants used by the Indians of Mendocino County, California. Government Printing Office. p. 407. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
External links
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