Rhamnus alnifolia (Alderleaf buckthorn)

Rhamnus alnifolia L’Hér.

Alderleaf buckthorn

Alderleaf buckthorn is a North American native.

Plants: This small shrub reaches up to 3′ (1 m) in height.

Leaves: Alternate, smooth-edged, elliptical, either rounded or pointed at the tip, up to 4 ⨉ 2″ (10 ⨉ 5 cm).

Flowers: Yellowish-green, in groups of 1-3, nestled at the base of leaves, from May to July. Male and female flowers occur on different plants.

Fruits: Round, shiny, up to ¼″ (6.3 mm) in diameter, turning to light red and then to deep black. Each fruit contains three seeds.

Habitats: Fens and swamps, generally calcareous, riparian thickets, interdunal swales, shore lines, marshes and mats, wet meadow edges, outcrops, forests; at elevations of 33–8858′ (10–2700 m).

Edibility: Not edible.

Similar buckthorns.

Online References:

The USDA Plants Database

Ontario Trees & Shrubs

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

The Jepson Manual

References:

Petrides, George A., Peterson Field Guides: Trees and Shrubs, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1972, p. 266

By Bryan A. Connolly, Massachusetts State Botanist, Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, Division of Fisheries and Wildlife · 12/18/2007 · Sheffield, Massachusetts

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Rhamnales	Buckthorns, oleasters, grapes, others
Family	Rhamnaceae	Buckthorn family
Genus	Rhamnus	From Greek for “buckthorn”
Species	alnifolia	Means “similar to leaves of the Alnus genus”

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Rhamnus alnifolia description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.