Stats

Lifespan: 100+ yrs
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Mediterranean chaparral
Range: North America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

A California native shrub whose berries ripen through green, red, and finally deep purple-black — the dark fruits resembling coffee beans gave it its name. It thrives in chaparral and coastal scrub and is a keystone food source for birds and small mammals.

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.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Rosales
Family: Rhamnaceae
Genus: Frangula
Species: Frangula californica