Rhamnus cathartica
| Rhamnus cathartica | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rhamnaceae |
| Genus: | Rhamnus |
| Subgenus: | Rhamnus |
| Species: | R. cathartica |
| Binomial name | |
|
Rhamnus cathartica L. |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Cervispina cathartica (L.) Moench |
|
Cervispina cathartica (L.) Moench
Rhamnus cathartica, the buckthorn, common buckthorn or purging buckthorn, is a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Rhamnaceae. It is native to Europe, northwest Africa and western Asia, from the central British Isles south to Morocco, and east to Kyrgyzstan. It was introduced to North America as an ornamental shrub in the early 19th century or perhaps before, and is now naturalized in the northern half of the continent, and is classified as an invasive plant in several US states and in Ontario, Canada.
Rhamnus cathartica is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing up to 10 metres (33 ft) tall, with grey-brown bark and spiny branches. The leaves are elliptic to oval, 25–90 mm (1–3 1⁄2 in) long and 12–35 mm (1⁄2–1 3⁄8 in) broad; they are green, turning yellow in autumn, and are arranged somewhat variably in opposite to subopposite pairs or alternately. The flowers are yellowish-green, with four petals; they are dioecious and insect pollinated. The fruit is a globose black drupe, 6–10 mm (1⁄4–3⁄8 in) across, and contains two to four seeds.
The species was originally named by Carl Linnaeus as Rhamnus catharticus, but this spelling was corrected to cathartica as the genus name Rhamnus is treated as being of feminine gender.
...
Wikipedia