The lemonade berry is known botanically as Rhus integrifo and is categorized as an evergreen shrub. It grows among the chaparral in Southern California and its use dates back before European settlers came to the area.

The lemonade berry plant has rounded leathery green leaves and red berries covered in small hairs with a sticky outer skin. The berries are flat, roughly a half an inch in diameter and grow together on the plant in small clusters. They have a tart lemony flavor that comes from the high amount of citric acid in the berry; it's this flavor that gives the lemonade berries their name. Prolonged exposure to the oils of the plant can cause skin irritation; the lemonade berry bush is in the same family as poison sumac.

Serving Ideas

The little hairs on the lemonade berry can be irritants, so only the juice is consumed. The juice can be sucked from the berry and the pulp and skin discarded. Steeping one cup of berries in two cups of hot water can produce a strong beverage that tastes like lemonade. The berries can be dried and ground to a powder and used as a thickener for soups. A tincture for sore throats and cold sores is made from lemonade berries, bark or leaves steeped in cold water.

Ethnic/Cultural Info

The Cahuilla Indians and native people of Southern California (from Riverside to Borrego) ate the berries of the lemonade sumac, or lemonade berry bush raw. They soaked berries in water to make a beverage and ground dried berries into powder to create a mush. The Cahuilla Indians also had medicinal uses for Rhus integrifo.

Geography/History

Lemonade berries are native to Southern California and can sometimes be found growing just over the Arizona border. It grows well in both the dry and coastal environments; the larger bushes grow inland and grow smaller the closer they are to the coast.

Seasons/Availability

Lemonade berries are found growing in the wild during the summer months.