Hi all, I've been for years, apparently, misidentifying a plant commonly used for landscaping in Southern California. I've been calling it "barberry" because that was the only definition I could find that fit it on the web, but have recently found out that barberry fruits aren't very large. This plant I'm thinking of, which can be found all over San Diego, Long Beach, and LA, has large oblong red to purplish fruits, about the size and shape of pecans, several small lentil-shaped black seeds inside, and a milky substance. The fruits are sweet and slightly tart. The leaves are, as I remember, shiny on top, but I can't remember the shape or size. I do remember the forked thorns. They fork just once, to make a "T" shape. The bushes I saw were fairly small, I don't remember seeing any over 6 feet in height, and many were only 3 or 4 feet (but most I saw were used in hedges, and trimmed to 3 feet or less).
I remember for sure finding them in the parking lot of Shoreline Village in Long Beach (where the Yard House is) and growing along San Ysidro Blvd. just a half-mile from the border.
Does this ring a bell with anyone? I'd like to try growing these in the New Mexico desert, but need a positive ID so I can try finding them online. Thanks -- jc