Rhamnus alaternus
Italian buckthorn · also Mediterranean buckthorn, Blow-fly-bush
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Rhamnus alaternus is a hardy evergreen shrub to small tree, valued for its glossy, oval-shaped leaves and fragrant, inconspicuous flowers that produce decorative red to black berries. It is adapted to Mediterranean climates with dry summers, making it suitable for reforestation in arid areas. However, its rapid growth rate can lead to invasiveness in some coastal and forested regions.
Where it grows
Trees in each city's inventory, with the share of that city's named trees this species accounts for.
- 3560.27%26 yr4.0 in
- 60.00%—3.3 in
- 20.00%—4.5 in
- 10.01%——
Traits
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Mature height
- 10–20 ft
- Canopy spread
- 10–20 ft
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Water needs
- Moderate
- Drought tolerance
- High
- Wildlife value
- Moderate
- Tolerates
- coastal, salt
- Blooms
- Mar, Apr, May
Trunk diameters across every city: median 4.0 in, mean 5.0 in, 90th percentile 8.0 in. Measured at breast height, as published by each inventory.
Native range
Terrestrial ecoregions where this species is native. Trees in the dataset mostly stand well outside it.
Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands & Scrub
- Aegean and Western Turkey sclerophyllous and mixed forests
- Cyprus Mediterranean forests
- Northeast Spain and Southern France Mediterranean forests
Other Rhamnus in the catalogue
5 of the top 2,000 species are in this genus.
