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| Presidio Park Plant Survey |
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Rhamnus californica COFFEEBERRY
Rhamnus californica is an interesting native plant that can grow, if unencumbered, to heights of 12 feet and is said to have a lifespan of 100-200 years. It is endemic to the multiple ecosystems and micro climates found in northern California, southern California and the Baja regions, and is found wild in desert, mountain and coastal chaparral environments. Generally, it produces a red, green or black drupe in early summer containing two seeds that resemble coffee beans. Not coffee beans at all, the indigenous peoples used the fruit for various purposes. The local Kumeyaay tribe is said to have used the bark for poison oak ailments. A mildly prolific species it is not found in abundance in the San Diego region. Rhamnus californica is not mentioned by Percy Broell (1937) nor by Chauncy Jerabek (1969). The Presidio Park Plant Identification project, found only one Rhamnus californica in Presidio Park. It grows quietly next to the eastern wall of the Serra Museum, built in 1929 by William Templeton Johnson (1857-1957) under the direction of local philanthropist George Marston (1850-1946). |
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