Alternate name: Glossy False Buckthorn
Family: Rhamnaceae, Buckthorn view all from this family
Description Introduced, invasive shrub or small tree with glossy foliage and red-to-black berries.
Height: 20' (6 m).
Diameter: 4" (10 cm).
Leaves: 1 1/2-2 3/4" (4-7 cm) long, 3/4-2" (2-5 cm) wide. Elliptical; usually widest above middle; not toothed; with several almost straight parallel side veins; nearly hairless. Shiny dark green above, paler beneath; turning clear yellow in autumn.
Bark: grayish; thin, slightly fissured and warty.
Twigs: slender; covered with fine hairs; thornless, ending in naked bud of tiny hairy leaves.
Flowers: 1/8" (3 mm) wide; bell-shaped; with 5 pointed greenish-yellow sepals; in short clusters at leaf bases; in late spring and early autumn.
Fruit: 5/16" (8 mm) in diameter; berrylike; turning from red to black; clustered; 2-3 seeds; maturing in late summer and autumn.
Warning Bark and fruit have been used medicinally but can be toxic to humans if ingested; fatalities are very rare. Sensitivity to a toxin varies with a person’s age, weight, physical condition, and individual susceptibility. Children are most vulnerable because of their curiosity and small size. Toxicity can vary in a plant according to season, the plant’s different parts, and its stage of growth; and plants can absorb toxic substances, such as herbicides, pesticides, and pollutants from the water, air, and soil.
Habitat Hardy in various soils, escaping especially in wet areas along fences and in bogs.
Range Native to Europe, W. Asia, and N. Africa. Naturalized from S. Manitoba east to Nova Scotia, south to Maryland, Tennessee, and Iowa, and west to Wyoming and Colorado.
Discussion Glossy Buckthorn is a handsome ornamental with shiny, alderlike leaves, turning yellow in autumn. It has long been planted, both as a tree and as a tall hedge, especially in Europe; however, it spreads rapidly and can become a pest. In the Northeast it has invaded wetlands and wet forests, forming dense stands that crowd out native plants. Its main means of dispersal is via the many birds that eat its fruit from the summer through the fall. The bark and berries were once used as a laxative, and the bark yields a yellow dye. The Latin name Frangula, meaning "to break," refers to the brittle wood.
