Frangula californica subsp. crassifolia

Family: Rhamnaceae · Type: shrub · Native

California coffeeberry is a California native shrub found in southern Klamath Ranges and northern inner Coast Ranges in chaparral and woodland habitats at elevations below 1,400 meters. Flowering from February to April, this plant produces small white flowers in clusters nestled among its dense foliage. Growing with gray, woolly twigs that form a dense, rounded shrub 1 to 2 meters tall, it develops a sturdy branching structure. Its leaves are widely elliptical, 3 to 10 centimeters long, with a soft white-woolly surface and obtuse tips, sometimes featuring subtle blunt teeth along the margin. The dense, tomentose foliage gives this shrub a distinctive silvery-gray appearance in its native habitats.

Habitat: Chaparral, woodland

Bloom period: Feb-Apr

Elevation: < 1400 m

Bioregions: s KR, NCoRI.

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