Agarita

Agarita is a dense, evergreen shrub native to Texas, New Mexico, and northern Mexico, where it grows on limestone hills, rocky plains, and dry chaparral. Its stiff, blue-grey trifoliate leaves have sharp-tipped leaflets - the Spanish name translates roughly as 'grabs a little' - and it produces clusters of fragrant yellow flowers in late winter, followed by bright red berries in May. Few native shrubs are as reliably low-maintenance across hot, dry regions of the Southwest and south-central states.

Adapted to rocky limestone and caliche soils, agarita requires no supplemental fertilizer and is highly drought-tolerant once established. The prickly foliage provides dense cover and nesting sites for birds, which also consume the berries rapidly once they ripen; gardeners who want to harvest should check the shrub daily as berries begin to color. It is effective as a barrier hedge, a wildlife planting, or massed on a dry slope where most ornamentals struggle.

The tart red berries are edible and used for jelly, juice, and wine. Like other members of Berberidaceae, agarita roots and stems contain berberine, an alkaloid with a documented history of use in traditional medicine for digestive complaints and as an antimicrobial agent.