Berberis pinnata

California barberry

Family: Berberidaceae · Type: shrub · Native

California barberry is a native shrub found in California's coastal and interior mountain ranges in chaparral, oak woodland, and mixed evergreen forest habitats. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces yellow flowers in small dense clusters that emerge along arching branches. Growing 1 to 2 meters tall with reclining to erect stems, it develops a complex branching structure with sharp spiny edges. Its compound leaves feature 7 to 11 leaflets, each ovate to wide-elliptic with wavy edges and small sharp teeth, creating a distinctive textured appearance. The fruit is a blue-purple, glaucous berry approximately 6 to 8 millimeters in diameter, adding visual interest to the shrub's structure.

California counties: San Benito, Marin, Santa Clara, San Luis Obispo, Alameda, Humboldt, San Mateo, Mariposa, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Los Angeles, Mendocino, San Francisco, Monterey, Napa, Santa Cruz, San Bernardino, Del Norte, Contra Costa, Sonoma, Amador, Ventura, Nevada, Trinity, Solano, Placer

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