Description
Form: A shrub or tree, depending on cultivar and pruning.
Lifespan: Over 100 years.
Leaf retention: Evergreen.
Growth rate: Slow to establish, then moderate to fast.
Mature Size: 3-30' (0.9-9m) high and 2-20' (0.6-6m) wide. Often 15x10' (4.5x3m) if not pruned.
Flowers: Small, short white petals, longer white stamens, in spiked clusters, fragrant.
Bloom: Late winter to spring.
Self-fruitful: Yes.
Years before fruiting: 1.
Fruit: The red to purple skin is leathery and bitter when not watered, with thin, sweet, edible flesh, and one large seed composed of a toxic center embryo surrounded by a hard outer coating.
Months for fruit to ripen: 4. The fruit are fully ripe when dark red to purple.
Storage after harvest: The fruit are normally consumed immediately.
Leaves: Glossy, green, edges serrated with sharp points (holly-like), having an almond-like aroma when crushed, safe to touch but not to eat.
Stems: Reddish to grayish brown bark on young stems, with the odor of bitter almonds (hydrogen cyanide) when scratched, grayish old bark, fairly smooth.
Roots: A widespread root system with a tap root provides erosion control. It can re-sprout from its root crown after a fire.
Wildlife: The flowers attract bees and butterflies. This plant is a caterpillar host for several species of butterflies. The fruit attracts birds and small mammals. The foliage attracts browsing mammals.
Toxic / Danger: All parts of this plant are poisonous except its ripe fruit, which can cause digestive upset in large quantities. The center embryo in the seed is toxic.
Origin: Coastal California and Baja California, Mexico.

Cultivation and Uses
USDA hardiness zones: 8b-9: 15°F (-9.4°C) when five years old. This plant must be protected from freezes in its first year.
Chill hours: None.
Heat tolerant: Above 90°F (32°C), all day open shade and extra water are required.
Drought tolerant: Yes.
Sun: This plant grows on north-facing slopes in the wild and needs afternoon full shade and possibly all day open shade when temperatures exceed 90°F (32°C).
Planting: Be careful not to damage the tap root when transplanting from a pot. Hollyleaf Cherry is not suitable for a container.
Soil: Well draining, dry, low to high organic content, pH 6.1-7.8 (slightly acidic to slightly alkaline).
Fertilize: Add compost once in mid-winter, if desired, or as mulch to mitigate temperature extremes. Fertilizer is unnecessary.
Water after becoming established: Monthly to weekly. More frequent watering improves the quality of the fruit.
Mulch: Use compost to protect the root area from temperature extremes.
First Year Care: Protect from freezing temperatures.
Prune: This plant can be shaped into a shrub, hedge or tree.
Litter: Low.
Propagation: Cuttings. Seed are viable for less than 9 months, and sprout in 20-40 days.
Uses: Ornamental, bird garden, butterfly garden, erosion control on slopes, fruit. Native American tribes removed the seed's toxic center embryo and ground the hard, outer seed coating (endocarp) into flour. The center embryos could be leached with many changes of water to remove the toxins and then cooked with the rest of the seed. The juice was made into a fermented beverage.

Comments
This plant, native to the Californias, is a member of the Rose family (Rosaceae) and is related to apricots, cherries, peaches, and plums.
The young plant is frost-tender in its first year in the ground.

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