Lemonade Berry, Rhus integrifolia

About Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia) 47 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Lemonade Berry is a shrub or small tree, with a variable form. They tend to grow upright (10- 30 feet tall) when somewhat inland, and low and sprawling (3-6 feet tall by up to 30 feet wide) when close to the ocean. It is native to Southwestern and Pacific coastal California from Santa Barbara County to western San Diego County, with its range extending to north-central Pacific coastal Baja California and some offshore islands like Cedros. It is a member of the chaparral plant community and is often found in coastal canyons below elevations of 900 meters, where it sometimes blankets entire hillsides. There is a small inland population on Mount Palomar at over 1000 meters. The Lemonade Berry's leaves are evergreen and leathery, ranging from two to four centimeters wide on reddish twigs; length of leaves is five to seven centimeters. Leaves are toothed or not with a waxy appearance above and a paler tone below. The flowers, which appear from February to May are small. The fruit is red to gray, glandular, and has a tart flavor which gives the plant its name. Lemonade Berry is an important wildlife plant. The berries are a significant food source for birds and small mammals, and the thick sprawling form provides excellent animal shelter.

Lemonade Berry is tough and easy to grow. It is very similar in appearance to Sugar Bush, though with leaves that are can be cupped and are rectangular and leathery. This plant is extremely drought tolerant and once established, will stay green and healthy looking year round without any supplementary summer water. It is a great plan for bank stabilization, and is fire retardant.

Lemonade Berry is very closely related to Sugar Bush. Sugar Bush is the predominant species inland and Lemonade Berry more common along the coast. A good rule of thumb for landscaping applications is within 5-10 miles of the coast, Lemonade Berry is a better choice. More inland, Sugar Bush does better.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

3 - 30 ft tall
3 - 20 ft wide

Form

Mounding, Rounded

Growth Rate

Fast, Moderate

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

None

Flower Color

Pink

Flowering Season

Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported

Many birds, small mammals and insects
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 2 confirmed

, 11 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Walter's Silkmoth Saturnia walterorumSaturnia walterorum

Caloptilia ovatiellaCaloptilia ovatiella

Ceanothus Silkmoth Hyalophora euryalusHyalophora euryalus

Fruit-Tree Leafroller Moth Archips argyrospilaArchips argyrospila

Common Eupithacia Eupithecia miserulataEupithecia miserulata

Spotted Dantana Datana perspicuaDatana perspicua

Drasteria edwardsiiDrasteria edwardsii

Landscaping Information

Sun

Part Shade, Full Sun

Moisture

Extremely Low, Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 47

Ease of Care

Very Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 25° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description

Many soil types. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Common uses

Bank Stabilization, Hedges, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens

Companion Plants

Toyon, Scrub Oaks, Chaparral Mallow, Laurel Sumac, California Encelia, California Sagebrush, Yucca spp, various cactus species

Maintenance

Takes pruning very well; may be pruned or sheared as desired at any time of year. May be pruned as a hedge or tree form

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: Hot water. For maximum germination, soak in concentrated H2S04 for 4-6 hrs., depending on seed batch and age.

Sunset Zones?

8, 9, 14*, 15, 16*, 17*, 19, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting

Site Type

Coastal canyon slopes and flats, foothills

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 3.6" - 39.3", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 2.72", Coldest Month: 33.5" - 59.2", Hottest Month: 59.0" - 88.3", Humidity: 0.83" - 40.37", Elevation: -167" - 7419"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Lemonade Sumac

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Lemonade Berry

Rhus integrifolia

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Lemonade BerryRhus integrifolia

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Lemonade Berry

Rhus integrifolia