Common Buckthorn
(Rhamnus cathartica)
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General Information: Common buckthorn is a shrub or small tree that grows up to sixteen feet tall. This species is actually native to Europe, but can be found in open woods, pasture, fencerows, and on roadside banks in the eastern United States and into Canada. The twigs are dark and lack stripes or lines, but the inner bark is distinctly yellow. Tips of the branches often end in spines.
The leaves are usually oppositely arranged, but some may be alternate. They grow to 1 1/2" to 2" long, are pinnately veined, and have a finely toothed margin.
Buckthorn flowers are composed of four parts and are small and green in color. They are organized in inflorescences of ten to fifteen flowers each. Inflorescences form from May to June in the axils of lower leaves of the current year's growth. Fruits are berry-like, less than 1/4" in diameter, and have a glassy black color.
- Medicinal Significance
Petrides, G.A. 1986. Peterson Field Guides: Trees and Shrubs. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Rhoads, A.F. and Block, T.A. 2000. The Plants of Pennsylvania: An Illustrated Manual. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.