Evergreen CoffeeberryFrangula californica occidentalisHeight: 6' average mature height Zones: 6-9 Find my zone Aspect: mostly shade to full sun Watering: needs little to no summer water once established, one or two deep watering cycles per summer Maximum Water: tolerates occasional winter flooding but needs drier soil in the summer Habit: single stem or trunk Flowers In: May, June Foliage: evergreen Growth Rate: medium Native To: AZ, CA, NM, NV, OR
Size Availability
California Coffeeberry is an evergreen shrub or small tree that is native across coastal mountains in southern Oregon and California, frequently growing in poor soils such as serpentine or granite. The plants are very drought and heat tolerant and are one of the few chaparral shrubs that still reliably produces berries following multiple drought years in many ecosystems. The berries are an important food source for a wide variety of wildlife species and are also some of the latest berries to ripen in the Klamath Mountains, providing essential vitamins and sugars late in the year. Unlike a lot of trees and shrubs that ripen fruit in one short period, Coffeeberry has a long spring flowering season and the berries ripen over a 2-3 month period starting in summer and continuing into the fall. Established plants can be incredibly productive over the whole season and produce a massive quantity of fruit compared to most shrubs, large flocks of birds visit the same plant several times per day to consume the newly ripening berries day after day for months.
Out of season.
Our main crop of most plants is available starting in late fall.
Additional batches of plugs and quarts are added throughout the year.
Many of our plants are propagated in limited quantities and can sell out quickly when posted, get on the notification list below so you don't miss out. Add your email to be notified as soon as we have them back in stock:
This does NOT subscribe your email to any mailing lists, our system will only send an inventory notification message.
Production notes: often not in production; usually due to infrequent seed production, limited propagation material, difficult propagation, or limited demand. May be available in large quantities in some years following seed bumper years. Low demand may cause staggered production, especially for fast-growing species. Most California Coffeeberry shrubs grow in hot climates with mild winters, our original seed source is of a much hardier strain from the far north of the species' range and at a high elevation, so our trees are hardy to USDA zone 6 instead of 7 or 8 like most southern strains. Our plants are grown from the subspecies
occidentalis
which is generally more cold hardy than the southern populations but also tends to grow shorter, topping out at around 6 feet in height.
Because this is a highly fire adapted species it resprouts readily from the roots so in extreme cold events the roots cans survive and regenerate the top portion. Once they are established, California Coffeeberry plants are extremely drought tolerant and do best with water about once a month or less during the summer in dry climates.
The common name 'Coffeeberry' comes from the berries resembling coffee beans, not their use for making beverages.
Frangula californica occidentalis - Evergreen Coffeeberry in late fall with a few berries still ripening
Frangula californica occidentalis covered in berries, this plant resprouted from the ground following a fire four years previous
Frangula californica occidentalis - Evergreen Coffeeberry
Frangula californica occidentalis - Evergreen Coffeeberry
Packing Plants For ShippingWe pack our plants depending on the needs of each species and size, most plants ship best with the roots packed in moist sawdust or bark fines but some species don't like root disturbance and are shipped in a soil-less growing media. Excess soil is washed from the roots in preparation for shipping (18-24" White Pines)  Plants are bundled together to fit in boxes  Bundles of plants are secured in long boxes. Plant Sizes 3 gallon Dawn Redwood  Standard quart shrub  Standard 14-18" multi-stem tree size  Standard deep plug pine tree Bamboo Plants Are Shipped In Their ContainersBamboo roots are not flexible and so plants have to be shipped in their containers. These plants are heavier and are shipped separately from bare root plants. Because they are potted they can handle longer transit times so can ship via UPS Ground instead of USPS Air Mail. Potted plants can also be shipped year-round.We regularly top our 1 gallon bamboo plants at 24-30 inches tall throughout the growing season. This results in dense, bushy foliage while allowing for economical shipping. From this size most running species will grow to 5-6 feet tall in the first spring and clumping species will usually grow to 4-5 feet tall.  1 gallon bamboo plants strapped in and ready to be sealed. Unpacking Bare Root PlantsYou will be sent tracking details as soon as your plants are shipped. Unpack your plants as quickly as possible after they are delivered. We use two types of boxes, side-sealing and top-sealing. For boxes that are taped along the whole length you can cut the tape on either side and remove the plant bundles by cutting the tape holding the bundle to the bottom. For boxes that are sealed on the top and bottom, it is easiet to open the bottom of the box (the shipping label is at the top) and pull the bundle of plants out straight out. Check that the box is empty as there can be a second bundle of plants stuck towards the top. A bundle of trees. What if I am not able to plant right away?You can usually leave the plants in their shipping container unopened for 1-2 days if there were no shipping delays and you have received your plants from late November through February. Plants shipped when it is warmer can't stay in their packages for as long.For longer term storage of plants you can pot them up or plant them in rows close together temporarily and then pull them out later in the spring to be planted again. This keeps the roots moist while allowing for air flow to the tops. The roots should have good contact with the soil to ensure they have access to adequate moisture. |
Size Availability
Out of season.
Our main crop of most plants is available starting in late fall.
Additional batches of plugs and quarts are added throughout the year.
Many of our plants are propagated in limited quantities and can sell out quickly when posted, get on the notification list below so you don't miss out. Add your email to be notified as soon as we have them back in stock:
This does NOT subscribe your email to any mailing lists, our system will only send an inventory notification message.
Production notes: often not in production; usually due to infrequent seed production, limited propagation material, difficult propagation, or limited demand. May be available in large quantities in some years following seed bumper years. Low demand may cause staggered production, especially for fast-growing species.
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Red Panda Nursery