Habitat: forests, woodlands, coastal scrub.
Region: western North America, British Columbia to California.
Use: medicinal; berries are edible.
BotanyShrub; reaching 3 meters in height.
Stem: woody branches with one to three thick brown spines at leaf nodes.
Leaves: generally palmate in shape; edged with teeth; 6 cm long; borne on petioles.
Inflorescence: small cluster of hanging flowers.
Flower: red to reddish-green, purple-tinted calyx; recurved lobes; petals white to red, smaller than lighter than sepals; stamens longer, protruding.
Fruit: sweet-tasting berry; 1 cm wide; black when ripe.