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For the genus Hippophae, see Sea-buckthorn
Sea-buckthorn

The sea-buckthorns are deciduous shrubs in the genus Hippophae, family Elaeagnaceae. The name sea-buckthorn is hyphenated here to avoid confusion with the buckthorns ....
.


The Buckthorns (Rhamnus) are a genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 (or two genera, if Frangula is treated as distinct) of about 100 species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
 of shrub
Shrub

A shrub or bush is a horticulture rather than strictly Botany category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall....
s or small tree
TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
s from 1-10 m tall (rarely to 15 m), in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae
Rhamnaceae

Rhamnaceae, the Buckthorn family, is a large family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs and some vines.The family contains 50-60 genera and approximately 870-900 species....
. They are native throughout the temperate and subtropical Northern Hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere

The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of the equator?the word sphere literally means 'half sphere'. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator....
, and also more locally in the subtropical Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere

The Southern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is south of the equator?the word sphere literally means 'half ball'. It is also that half of the celestial sphere south of the celestial equator....
 in parts of Africa
Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
 and South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
.






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Encyclopedia


For the genus Hippophae, see Sea-buckthorn
Sea-buckthorn

The sea-buckthorns are deciduous shrubs in the genus Hippophae, family Elaeagnaceae. The name sea-buckthorn is hyphenated here to avoid confusion with the buckthorns ....
.


The Buckthorns (Rhamnus) are a genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 (or two genera, if Frangula is treated as distinct) of about 100 species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
 of shrub
Shrub

A shrub or bush is a horticulture rather than strictly Botany category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall....
s or small tree
TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
s from 1-10 m tall (rarely to 15 m), in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae
Rhamnaceae

Rhamnaceae, the Buckthorn family, is a large family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs and some vines.The family contains 50-60 genera and approximately 870-900 species....
. They are native throughout the temperate and subtropical Northern Hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere

The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of the equator?the word sphere literally means 'half sphere'. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator....
, and also more locally in the subtropical Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere

The Southern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is south of the equator?the word sphere literally means 'half ball'. It is also that half of the celestial sphere south of the celestial equator....
 in parts of Africa
Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
 and South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
. Some species are invasive
Invasive species

Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions. The first definition expresses the phrase in terms of non-indigenous species that adversely affect the habitats they invade economically, environmentally or ecologically....
 outside their natural ranges.

Both deciduous
Deciduous

Deciduous means falling off at maturity or tending to fall off and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe....
 and evergreen
Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant having leaf all year round. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage for part of the year....
 species occur. The leaves are simple, 3-15 cm long, and arranged either alternately or in opposite pairs. One distinctive character of many buckthorns is the way the veination curves upward towards the tip of the leaf. The plant bears fruits which are dark blue berries. The name is due to the woody spine on the end of each twig in many species. Buckthorns are used as food plants by the larva
Larva

A larva is a young form of animal with indirect developmental biology, going through or undergoing metamorphosis .The larva can look completely different from the adult form, for example, a caterpillar differs from a butterfly....
e of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera is an order of insect that includes moths and butterfly. It is one of the most speciose orders in the class Insecta, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterfly, skipper , and Hedylidae....
 species – see list of Lepidoptera that feed on buckthorns.

Classification

The genus is divided into two subgenera, sometimes treated as separate genera:
  • Subgenus Rhamnus: flowers with four petals, buds with bud scales, leaves opposite or alternate, branches with spines. Species include:
    • Rhamnus alaternus – Italian Buckthorn
    • Rhamnus alnifolia – Alderleaf Buckthorn
    • Rhamnus arguta – Sharp-tooth Buckthorn
    • Rhamnus cathartica
      Rhamnus cathartica

      Rhamnus cathartica , is a species in the family Rhamnaceae, native to Europe, northwest Africa, and western Asia, from the central British Isles south to Morocco, and east to Kyrgyzstan....
       – Common (or Purging) Buckthorn (syn. R. catharticus)
    • Rhamnus crocea
      Rhamnus crocea

      Rhamnus crocea is a species of buckthorn. There are two subspecies: Rhamnus crocea subsp. crocea and Rhamnus crocea subsp. pilosa ....
       – Redberry Buckthorn (ssp. crocea), Hollyleaf Buckthorn (ssp. pilosa)
    • Rhamnus davurica – Dahurian Buckthorn
    • Rhamnus diffusus
    • Rhamnus globosa – Lokao Buckthorn
    • Rhamnus ilicifolia – Hollyleaf Redberry
    • Rhamnus japonica – Japanese Buckthorn
    • Rhamnus lanceolata – Lanceleaf Buckthorn
    • Rhamnus libanotica
    • Rhamnus lycioides
    • Rhamnus petiolaris
    • Rhamnus pirifolia – Island Redberry Buckthorn
    • Rhamnus prinoides
      Rhamnus prinoides

      The Shiny-leaf Buckthorn is an African shrub or small tree in the family Rhamnaceae. It occurs from Ethiopia to South Africa at medium to high altitudes....
       – Shiny-leaf Buckthorn
    • Rhamnus saxatilis – Rock Buckthorn, Avignon Buckthorn, Avignon Berry (syn. R. infectoria, R. infectorius)
    • Rhamnus serrata – Sawleaf Buckthorn
    • Rhamnus smithii – Smith's Buckthorn
    • Rhamnus staddo – Staddo (syn. R. rhodesicus)
    • Rhamnus tinctoria - Dyer's Buckthorn (syn. R. saxatilis ssp. tinctorius)
    • Rhamnus utilis – Chinese Buckthorn


  • Subgenus Frangula: flowers with five petals, buds without bud scales, leaves always alternate, branches without spines. Species include:
    • Rhamnus betulaefolia (Frangula betulifolia) – Birchleaf Buckthorn
    • Rhamnus californica
      Rhamnus californica

      The California Buckthorn is also called Coffeeberry because its berries contain seeds which look like Coffea. It is a fairly common plant native to California and southwestern Oregon....
       (Frangula californica) – California Buckthorn, Coffeeberry
    • Rhamnus caroliniana (Frangula caroliniana) – Carolina Buckthorn, Indian Cherry (syn. R. carolinianus)
    • Rhamnus frangula
      Rhamnus frangula

      Common names: Alder Buckthorn, Glossy Buckthorn, Breaking Buckthorn, Black DogwoodRhamnus frangula is a species in the family Rhamnaceae. The flowers are Plant sexuality and insect pollinated....
       (Frangula alnus) – Alder Buckthorn, Glossy or Breaking Buckthorn, Black Dogwood
    • Rhamnus glandulosa
      Rhamnus glandulosa

      Rhamnus glandulosa is a species of plant in the Rhamnaceae family. It is found in Portugal and Spain. It is threatened by habitat loss....
       - Sanguinho
    • Rhamnus latifolia (Frangula azorica)
    • Rhamnus purshiana
      Rhamnus purshiana

      Rhamnus purshiana is a species of buckthorn native to western North America from southern British Columbia south to central California, and inland to western Montana....
       (Frangula purshiana) – Cascara Buckthorn (syn. R. purshianus)
    • Rhamnus rubra (Frangula rubra) – Red Buckthorn
    • Rhamnus sphaerosperma (Frangula sphaerosperma) – West Indian Buckthorn


The Purging Buckthorn or Common Buckthorn (R. cathartica) is a widespread Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
an native species, in the past used as a purgative, though its toxicity makes this a very risky herbal medicine and it is no longer used. Introduced into the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 as a garden
Garden

A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials....
 shrub, this has become an invasive species
Invasive species

Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions. The first definition expresses the phrase in terms of non-indigenous species that adversely affect the habitats they invade economically, environmentally or ecologically....
 in many areas there. It has recently been discovered to be a primary host of the soybean aphid
Aphid

Aphids, also known as plant lice , are small plant-eating insects, and members of the Taxonomic rank Aphidoidea. Aphids are among the most destructive insect pests on cultivated plants in temperate regions....
 Aphis glycines, a problem pest for soybean
Soybean

The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia. The plant is classed as an oilseed rather than a Pulse . It is an annual plant that has been used in China for 5,000 years as a food and a component of drugs....
 farmers across the US. The aphids use the buckthorn as a host for the winter and then spread to nearby soybean fields in the spring.

Koeh 120
Another European species, Alder Buckthorn (R. frangula, syn. Frangula alnus) was of major military
Military

A military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or Threat of force ....
 importance in the 15th to 19th centuries, as its wood
Wood

Wood is an organic material; in the strict sense wood is produced as secondary xylem in the stems of woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs, etc....
 provided the best quality charcoal
Charcoal

Charcoal is the blackish residue consisting of impure carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances....
 for gunpowder
Gunpowder

Gunpowder, also called black powder, is an explosive mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate, KNO3 that burns rapidly, producing volumes of hot solids and gases which can be used as a propellant in firearms and as a pyrotechnic composition in fireworks....
 manufacture.

Italian Buckthorn (R. alaternus), an evergreen species from the Mediterranean region, has become a serious weed in some parts of New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
—especially on Hauraki Gulf
Hauraki Gulf

The Hauraki Gulf is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has a total area of 4000 km?, and lies between the Auckland Region, the Coromandel Peninsula, and the Hauraki Plains....
 islands.

Dyer's Buckthorn (R. tinctoria) is used, together with the Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
n Chinese Buckthorn (R. utilis), to produce the dye
Dye

A dye can generally be described as a colored substance that has an Chemical affinity to the Wiktionary:substrate to which it is being applied....
 "china green". Another species, Avignon Buckthorn (R. saxatilis) provides the yellow dye Persian berry
Persian berry

Persian berry, also called Avignon berry or French berry, is the fruit of the Avignon Buckthorn , a species of buckthorn, used for dyeing yellow....
, made from the berries.

Sanguinho (R. glandulosa
Rhamnus glandulosa

Rhamnus glandulosa is a species of plant in the Rhamnaceae family. It is found in Portugal and Spain. It is threatened by habitat loss....
) is endemic
Endemic (ecology)

Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a particular geographic location, such as a specific island, Habitat type, nation, or other defined zone....
 to the Macaronesia
Macaronesia

Macaronesia is a modern collective name for several groups of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean near Europe and North Africa belonging to three countries: Portugal, Spain, and Cape Verde....
n islands, where it is found in the laurisilva
Laurisilva

Laurisilva or laurissilva is an Endemic type of humid subtropical laurel forest found on several of the Macaronesian islands of the North Atlantic, namely Madeira Islands, the Azores and the Canary Islands, a precious relic of the Pliocene subtropical forests....
 forests of the Madeira and Canary Islands
Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are a Spain archipelago which, in turn, forms one of the Spanish Autonomous Communities and an Outermost Region of the European Union....
.

North American species include Alder-leaf Buckthorn (R. alnifolia) right across the continent, Carolina Buckthorn (R. (F.) caroliniana) in the east, Cascara Buckthorn (R. (F.) purshiana
Rhamnus purshiana

Rhamnus purshiana is a species of buckthorn native to western North America from southern British Columbia south to central California, and inland to western Montana....
) in the west, and the evergreen California Buckthorn or Coffeeberry (R. (F.) californica
Rhamnus californica

The California Buckthorn is also called Coffeeberry because its berries contain seeds which look like Coffea. It is a fairly common plant native to California and southwestern Oregon....
) and Hollyleaf Buckthorn (R. crocea) in the west.

In South America, Rhamnus diffusus is a small shrub native from the Valdivian temperate rain forests
Valdivian temperate rain forests

The Valdivian temperate rain forests are a Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests terrestrial ecoregion located on the west coast of southern South America, lying mostly in Chile and extending into a small part of Argentina....
 in Chile.

Buckthorns may be confused with Dogwood
Dogwood

The Dogwoods comprise a group of 30-50 species of mostly deciduous woody plants growing as shrubs and trees; some species are herbaceous perennial plants and a few of the woody species are evergreen....
s, which share the curved leaf venation; indeed, "dogwood" is a local name for R. prinoides in southern Africa, a plant used to make Ethiopian mead
Mead

Mead is a typically alcoholic beverage beverage, made from honey and water via Fermentation with yeast. Its alcoholic content may range from that of a mild ale to that of a strong wine....
 and known as "gesho" in Ethiopia
Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast....
. The two plants are easy to distinguish by slowly pulling a leaf apart; in dogwood thin white latex strings can be seen, strings not present in buckthorn.

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