
Rhamnus frangula
Alder buckthorn · also Glossy buckthorn, Breaking buckthorn, European alder buckthorn
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Rhamnus frangula is a tall deciduous shrub or small tree, notable for its lack of thorns and inconspicuous flowers. Native to Europe, northernmost Africa, and western Asia, it is suited for woodland settings but its berries are toxic.
Where it grows
Trees in each city's inventory, with the share of that city's named trees this species accounts for.
- 120.00%8.8 yr3.6 in
- 60.01%—9.8 in
- 50.01%3.8 yr—
- 30.00%—4.7 in
- 20.00%——
Traits
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Mature height
- 10–15 ft
- Canopy spread
- 6–10 ft
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Water needs
- Moderate
- Wildlife value
- Moderate
- Blooms
- Mar, Apr, May
Trunk diameters across every city: median 5.0 in, mean 7.9 in, 90th percentile 17 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.
Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests
- Baltic mixed forests
- Central Anatolian steppe and woodlands
- Central China Loess Plateau mixed forests
- Central European mixed forests
- East European forest steppe
- Eastern Anatolian deciduous forests
- European Atlantic mixed forests
- Western European broadleaf forests
Temperate Conifer Forests
- Northern Anatolian conifer and deciduous forests
Montane Grasslands & Shrublands
- Kuh Rud and Eastern Iran montane woodlands
Other Rhamnus in the catalogue
5 of the top 2,000 species are in this genus.