The Watershed Nursery www.thewatershednursery.com Lemonade-berry Anacardiaceae Rhus integrifolia

Sun: Full Sun, Part Shade Water: Dry, Light, Moderate Soil: Clay, Loam, Sand, Rocky Other: Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Birds, Attracts Bees, Drought Tolerant, Erosion Control, Deer Resistant Ecological Value: The fruit is consumed by roadrunners and many upland gamebirds, songbirds, large and small mammals. Also provides a special value to native bees.

Historical Uses: The Cahuilla and other California native people ate the fruits of the lemonade berry raw. They soaked the berries in water to make a beverage, and ground the dried berries into flour for a mush or to add to soup. It also has medicinal uses.

Native Distribution: From Santa Barbara County and the Channel Islands to San Diego, extending into Baja California & its offshore islands. Elevation: Between 0 and 2953 feet In the Garden This large evergreen shrub has dark, glossy green Plant Communities: leaves which tend to be leathery and rounded at the Chaparral and coastal sage scrub tips. Growth rate is moderate to 4'-5' tall, spreading to 15' or more across. Native to California slopes above the coast. Pink flowers put on quite a show in February and March Habitat: (January to July if particularly happy) before giving Ocean bluffs, canyons and dry places below way to red, hairy, sticky berries. Performs fairly well as a hedge; grows quite well in the shade of Oaks; tolerates clay, but does better in loam, sandy, or rocky soils. Tolerates clipping and is virtually pest- free.

The berries are edible and can also be used for lemonade. Lemonade berry is also good for erosion control.