Berberis nevinii

Nevin's barberry

Family: Berberidaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Endangered

Nevin's barberry is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native shrub found in southwestern California in sandy to gravelly soils, chaparral, and washes at elevations below 650 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces pale yellow flowers in open clusters 3.5 to 6.5 centimeters long, with 3 to 5 blossoms per cluster. Growing with erect stems 1 to 4 meters tall, it forms a dense, multi-branched shrub with distinctive spiny leaves. Its compound leaves have 3 to 5 narrow-elliptic leaflets, each 2.5 to 4 centimeters long with 8 to 10 small spines along the serrated edges, creating a complex, intricate foliage structure. The fruit is a spherical, bright red berry approximately 5 to 8 millimeters in diameter.

Habitat: Sandy to gravelly soils, washes, chaparral

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: < 650 m

Bioregions: SW.

California counties: Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Mateo, Ventura, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Orange

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.