Rhamnus pirifolia

Island redberry

Family: Rhamnaceae · Type: tree · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Island redberry is a native tree found in the Channel Islands in coastal-sage scrub and chaparral at elevations of 10 to 520 meters. Flowering from January to April, this small tree produces subtle greenish flowers in clusters of 1 to 6 blossoms. Growing to less than 10 meters tall with ascending branches and distinctive purple twigs, it features gray bark and an elegant form. Its evergreen leaves are thick and elliptic, 20 to 50 millimeters long with rounded bases and acute or rounded tips, displaying prominent veins and occasionally toothed margins. The fruit appears as small red stones approximately 6 to 8 millimeters long, adding visual interest to this distinctive island species.

Habitat: Coastal-sage scrub, chaparral

Bloom period: Jan-Apr

Elevation: 10-520 m

Bioregions: ChI

California counties: Los Angeles, Santa Barbara

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