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| Rhamnus alnifolia | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rhamnaceae |
| Genus: | Rhamnus |
| Species: | R. alnifolia
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| Binomial name | |
| Rhamnus alnifolia | |
| Synonyms | |
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List
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Rhamnus alnifolia is a species of flowering plant in the buckthorn family known by the common names alderleaf buckthorn,[1] or alder buckthorn. Unlike other "buckthorns", this alder buckthorn does not have thorns.[2] It is native to North America, and can be found in forested habitat.
Description
[edit]Rhamnus alnifolia is a spreading shrub usually 0.5 to 1.5 metres (20 to 59 inches) tall,[3] rarely to 2 m (6+1⁄2 ft), its thin branches bearing deciduous leaves.[4] The thin, deeply veined leaves have oval blades 4.5 to 11 centimetres (1+3⁄4 to 4+3⁄8 in) long, pointed at the tip and lightly toothed along the edges.[3] The inflorescence is a solitary flower or umbel of up to three flowers occurring in leaf axils. The tiny flowers are about 1 millimetre (1⁄16 in) wide[4] and have five green sepals but no petals.[5] Female flowers produce drupes 6 to 8 mm (1⁄4 to 5⁄16 in) wide, each containing three seeds. The drupes darken to black when ripe.[3]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]It can be found in the southern half of Canada and the northern half of the United States,[6][7] mostly in the Pacific Northwest. It grows in streambanks and on humid flats near mountains.[8]
Uses
[edit]The berry is inedible.[8] Native Americans used the species as a laxative.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ NRCS. "Rhamnus alnifolia". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ^ Catling, P.M., and Z.S. Porebski. 1994. The history of invasion and current status of glossy buckthorn, Rhamnus frangula, in Southern Ontario. Canadian Field-Naturalist 108:305–310
- ^ a b c Nesom, Guy L. (2016). "Rhamnus alnifolia". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 12. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
- ^ a b Jepson Flora Project (ed.). "Rhamnus alnifolia". Jepson eFlora. The Jepson Herbarium, University of California, Berkeley.
- ^ Chayka, Katy; Dziuk, Peter (2016). "Rhamnus alnifolia (Alder-leaved Buckthorn)". Minnesota Wildflowers.
- ^ "Rhamnus alnifolia". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
- ^ "Rhamnus alnifolia". State-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
- ^ a b Turner, Mark; Kuhlmann, Ellen (2014). Trees & Shrubs of the Pacific Northwest (1st ed.). Portland, OR: Timber Press. p. 233. ISBN 978-1-60469-263-1.
- ^ Arno, Stephen F.; Hammerly, Ramona P. (2020) [1977]. Northwest Trees: Identifying & Understanding the Region's Native Trees (field guide ed.). Seattle: Mountaineers Books. p. 266. ISBN 978-1-68051-329-5. OCLC 1141235469.
External links
[edit]
- Rhamnus alnifolia in the CalPhotos photo database, University of California, Berkeley
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