Rhus integrifolia

Lemonade berry

Family: Anacardiaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Lemonade berry is a California native shrub found in the southwestern part of the state in canyon and chaparral habitats, particularly on northern-facing slopes at elevations below 900 meters. Flowering from February to May, this plant produces white to pale pink flowers in compact clusters with distinctive glandular-hairy branches. Growing 1 to 8 meters tall with a robust, spreading form, it develops thick, sturdy branches that provide a distinctive architectural presence in its native landscape. Its evergreen leaves are wide-elliptic to lance-elliptic, leathery and generally 2.5 to 6 centimeters long, with edges that can be entire or slightly toothed and tips that are somewhat blunt. The fruit develops as a glandular-hairy, reddish drupe approximately 7 to 10 millimeters in diameter, adding visual interest to the plant's overall structure.

Habitat: Canyons, generally n-facing slopes, chaparral

Bloom period: Feb-May

Elevation: < 900 m

Bioregions: SW

California counties: Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside, Santa Cruz, Marin, Sacramento, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Monterey

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