Berberis fremontii
Fremont barberry
Family: Berberidaceae · Type: shrub · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3
Fremont barberry is a California native shrub found in the Peninsular Ranges and eastern Mojave Desert on rocky slopes, in pinyon and juniper woodland, and chaparral at elevations of 900 to 1,850 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces yellow flowers in compact clusters with 8 to 12 blooms. Growing with erect stems up to 4 meters tall, it features dense, crowded branches with distinctive spiny leaflets. Its leaves have 3 to 7 lance-ovate leaflets, each 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters long, with wavy margins and 3 to 8 small spines along each edge. The fruit is a glaucous, nearly spherical berry 6 to 15 millimeters in diameter, ranging from yellow to purple-red when ripe.
Habitat: Rocky slopes, pinyon/juniper woodland, chaparral
Bloom period: Mar-May
Elevation: 900-1850 m
Bioregions: PR, e&s DMoj
California counties: San Diego, San Bernardino
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.