Stats

Lifespan: 100-150 yrs
Size: Large
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Chaparral shrubland
Range: North America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Spines
Status: Uncommon

About

A California native evergreen shrub or small tree with glossy, holly-like spiny leaves, producing small dark red-to-black cherries beloved by wildlife. Despite its prickly foliage mimicking true holly, it belongs to the rose family — and Indigenous peoples ground its cherry pits into a nutritious flour for thousands of years.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Prunus
Species: Prunus ilicifolia