Redberry buckthorn (Rhamnus crocea) is an evergreen shrub of the buckthorn family, native to dry chaparral and foothills from California to northern Mexico. It is hardy and drought tolerant once established, and its key to success is sun, good drainage and little summer water.
Family
Rhamnaceae (Rhamn family)
Grows as
Shrub
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Water deeply but infrequently, letting the soil dry out between waterings, and water little or none in summer once established.
Soil
Well-drained soil, sandy or loamy; tolerates poor, rocky soil.
Temperature
10–30 °C; tolerates cool winters and brief light frost, protect from hard freezes.
How easy
Easy
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
California to N. Mexico
Climate
desert or dry shrubland
About
Rhamnus crocea, the spiny redberry, is a species of plant in the family Rhamnaceae. It is native from California to northern Mexico. As of March 2024, five subspecies are recognized.
Where it grows
Rhamnus crocea is native to Arizona, California, Nevada, and Oregon in the United States and to Northeastern and Northwestern Mexico and the Mexican Pacific Islands. It covers two major mountain foothills. In California, it surrounds the entire San Joaquin Valley, the pacific coast ranges and the western foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. In Arizona, it is found in the entire length of the Mogollon Rim to the western region of the White Mountains.
Uses
The edible fruit was consumed by Native Americans in the Western United States. When eaten in large quantities, it reportedly imparts a red tint to the consumer's entire body.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Rhamnus crocea by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.