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Lemonade Berry
Rhus integrifolia
  
About Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia) 66 Nurseries Carry This Plant Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia) is an evergreen shrub or small tree. It tends to grow upright (10- 30 feet tall) but sprawls next to beaches. It is often found in coastal canyons below elevations of 900 meters, where it sometimes dominates entire hillsides. There is a small inland population on Mount Palomar at over 1000 meters. The Lemonade Berry's petioles are pink or brownish and leaf blades are leathery, ranging from two to four centimeters wide and five to seven centimeters in length. 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 but noticeable. The glandular fruit is red to gray 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.

Lemonade Berry is hardy, making it easy to grow and maintain. Once established, will stay green and healthy looking year round without any supplementary summer water. It is a great plan for bank stabilization, and serves as fire retardant. Lemonade Berry is very closely related to Sugar Bush. 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
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
3 - 30 ft tall
3 - 20 ft wide

Form
Form
Mounding, Rounded

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast, Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Fragrance
Fragrance
None

Flower Color
Flower Color
Pink, White

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported
 
Many birds, small mammals and insects

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 2 confirmed , 11 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Part Shade, Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Extremely Low, Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 25° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Many soil types. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Bank Stabilization, Bird Gardens, Deer Resistant, Hedges

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

Maintenance
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
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
Sunset Zones?
8, 9, 14*, 15, 16*, 17*, 19, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Coastal canyon slopes and flats, foothills

Climate
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


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


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