Taxon Report

Berberis fremontii Torr.

Fremont barberry

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Berberis fremontii, commonly known as Fremont barberry, is a perennial evergreen shrub in the Berberidaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Joshua tree "woodland", and Pinyon and juniper woodland, growing at elevations from 1145 to 1720 meters. Berberis fremontii is ranked 2B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Berberis fremontii Torr.
Common Name:	Fremont barberry
Family:	Berberidaceae
Element Code:	PDBER06060
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:	Mahonia higginsiae (Munz) Ahrent

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial evergreen shrub
Blooming Period: Mar-May	Mar-May
Elevation:	1145-1720 (3755-5645)
General Habitats:	Joshua tree "woodland", Pinyon and juniper woodland
Microhabitat:	Granitic (sometimes), Rocky
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	2B.3
Global Rank:	G5
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:	changed from 3 to 2B.3 on 2014-04-30

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	17
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	17

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
San Bernardino (SBD)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Big Bear City (3411637)*, Bighorn Basin (3411576), Castle Peaks (3511532), Cima (3511525), Ivanpah (3511533), Mid Hills (3511524), Pinto Valley (3511523), Yucca Valley North (3411624)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	%

Notes



Previously CRPR 3. Includes CA plants previously treated as B. haematocarpa. Overlaps morphologically with B. higginsiae in the Peninsular Ranges. Definitive study needed. See Report on the U.S. and Mexican Boundary Survey, p. 30 (1859) by W. Emory for original description, and Phytologia 52:221-226 (1982) for relationship between Berberis and Mahonia.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Proposed Rank Change from CRPR 3, G5 / S2? to 2B.3, G5 / S2S3 2014-04-30

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 27 January 2025].