Taxon Report
Berberis harrisoniana Kearney & PeeblesKofa Mountain barberry |
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Taxon Summary
Berberis harrisoniana, commonly known as Kofa Mountain barberry, is a perennial evergreen shrub in the Berberidaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Chaparral, and Mojavean desert scrub, growing at elevations from 780 to 840 meters. Berberis harrisoniana is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.Classification
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Scientific Name: |
Berberis harrisoniana Kearney & Peebles |
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Common Name: |
Kofa Mountain barberry |
| Family: | Berberidaceae |
| Element Code: | PDBER02030 |
| USDA Plants Symbol: | BEHA2 |
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Synonyms/Other Names: |
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Ecology and Life History
| Lifeform: | perennial evergreen shrub |
| Blooming Period: Jan-Mar | Jan-Mar |
| Elevation: | 780-840 (2560-2755) |
| General Habitats: | Chaparral, Mojavean desert scrub |
| Microhabitat: | Slopes, Talus, Volcanic (sometimes) |
| Microhabitat Details: | usually north-facing talus slopes, sometimes volcanic (breccia) |
Conservation Status
| CA Rare Plant Rank: | 1B.2 |
| Global Rank: | G2 |
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State Rank: |
S1 |
| State List: | None |
| Fed List: | None |
| Other Status: | BLM_S; SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_USDA |
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CRPR Changes: |
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Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
| Total Occurrences: | 1 |
| Element Occurrence Ranks: | |
| Excellent (A) | 0 |
| Good (B) | 1 |
| Fair (C) | 0 |
| Poor (D) | 0 |
| None (X) | 0 |
| Unknown (U) | 0 |
| California Endemic: False | |
| California Counties and Islands: Name (Code) | |
| San Bernardino (SBD) | |
| Quads: Name (Quad Code) | |
| Whipple Wash (3411433) | |
Threat List Data from the CNDDB
| Threat List Total: | 3 | |
| EOs with Threat Listed: | Total EOs | % of EOs |
| 1 | 100 % | |
| Erosion/runoff | 1 | 100% |
| Foot traffic/trampling | 1 | 100% |
| Road/trail construction/maint. | 1 | 100% |
Notes
| Potentially threatened by rock fall, erosion, trail maintenance, and foot traffic. Distinguishing characters include trifoliolate leaves and blue-black berries. See Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences 29:477 (1939) for original description, Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science 26:2-4 (1992) for taxonomic treatment, and Madroño 51(4):395 (2004) for information on the first CA record. |
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Threats: |
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Taxonomy: |
Selected References
| Proposed Addition to CRPR 1B, G1G2 / S1.3 (2005) |
Citation
California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 16 November 2025].