Rhamnaceae: Rhamnus cathartica

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Family Name

Rhamnaceae

Common Name

Common buckthorn

Description

Rhamnus cathartica is a deciduous shrub or small tree typically growing 2 to 6 meters tall. The stems are slender and often thorny, with dark brown to blackish bark that becomes scaly with age. Leaves are opposite or sub-opposite, ovate to elliptic in shape, 3 to 7 cm long and 2 to 4 cm wide, with finely serrated margins and a glossy dark green upper surface contrasting with a paler underside. The leaves have three to five prominent veins curving toward the leaf tip. The small, inconspicuous flowers bloom from May to June, usually in clusters of two to five in leaf axils. Flowers have four greenish-yellow petals about 2 to 3 mm long and four sepals of similar size and shape. Each flower contains four stamens with filaments about 1 to 2 mm long and yellowish anthers. The pistil is single with a two-chambered ovary. Fruit matures from August through September as a small, round drupe about 6 to 9 mm in diameter, glossy black when ripe, containing two to four seeds. Common buckthorn is native to Europe and western Asia and was introduced to South Dakota in windbreaks. It is now an invasive species found in woodlands, fields, and disturbed sites throughout the state, often forming dense thickets that outcompete native vegetation.

Additional Notes

Common buckthorn has historically been used as a windbreak species, medicinal plant and for dye production, but due to its invasive nature, it is generally considered problematic. It provides some wildlife cover and food for birds, which aid seed dispersal.