Red Berry (Rhamnus croceus)
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −12.2 °C
Cultivation
Succeeds in any reasonably good soil. Plants are possibly hardy to -15°c according to one report. The sub-species R. croceus ilicifolia. Greene. often forms a tree up to 7 metres tall. The species in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. The flowers are produced in small clusters in the leaf axils or from small persistent bracts on shoots of the year. If fruit and seed is required it is necessary to grow a hermaphrodite form, or male and female forms.
Propagation
Seed - best sown in the autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed will require 1 - 2 months cold stratification at about 5° and should be sown as early in the year as possible in a cold frame or outdoor seedbed. Germination is usually good, at least 80% by late spring. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, and grow them on in the greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, autumn in a frame. Layering in early spring.
Edible uses
Fruit - raw. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Habitat
Scrub and open forests below 1500 metres.
Native range
South-western N. America - California to Arizona, south to Mexico.