Rhus integrifolia (Lemonadeberry)

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Rhus integrifolia (Nutt.) W.H. Brewer & S. Watson

Lemonadeberry, lemonade berry, lemonade sumac

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Sapindales	Includes citrus; maples, horse-chestnuts, lychees and rambutans; mangos and cashews; frankincense and myrrh; mahogany and neem
Family	Anacardiaceae	Cashew or sumac family
Genus	Rhus	From Greek rhous, ancient name for sumac
Species	integrifolia	Indicates that the leaf margins are entire, uncut, not toothed

About plant names...

Lemonadeberry is native to southern California and the northern part of the Baja peninsula. It prefers well-drained chaparral, below elevations of 2953' (900 m).

Plants: A shrub or small tree 3-26' (1-8 m) tall, with a sprawling habit. Inland, they often become trees, but closer to the coast, they often remain low, spreading sideways up to 30' (9.1 m), forming impenetrable thickets.

Leaves: Simple, evergeen, leathery, finely toothed, 1¾-2½" (5-7 cm) × ¾-1½" (2-4 cm). Leaves have a waxy shine above, and are more pale below. They remind me a little of holly leaves.

Flowers: Dense clusters of small, sticky, white to pink flowers. They appear from February to May.

Fruits: Berries are dark red and sticky, up to ⅜" (1 cm) in diameter, and oddly misshapen.

Edibility: Fruits are edible raw or cooked, exuding a sour, lemony flavor. Berry clusters are soaked for 10-30 minutes in hot or cold water to make a drink reminiscent of lemonade. Boiling ruins the flavor, releasing excessive tannins.

Online References:

CalPhotos

Calscape.org

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Wikipedia

Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants