glossy buckthorn
Frangula alnus Mill.
Description from Invasive.org
- Appearance
- Frangula alnus is a large shrub or small tree that can grow to heights of 30 ft. (9.1 m). Its bark is gray to brown with white lenticels.
- Foliage
- The dark green leaves are shiny, alternate (sometime opposite) and simple with prominent venation.
- Flowers
- The flowers are inconspicuous, pale greenish-yellow to yellow in color and occur in clusters in the leaf axis. Flowering occurs from May through September.
- Fruit
- The fleshy fruit ripens from red to a dark purple or black color. You can see ripe fruit beginning about July through September.
- Ecological Threat
- Frangula alnus invades moist woodlands and disturbed areas throughout the Northeast and Midwest. Its rapid growth and prolific seed production make this plant an aggressive invader that can form dense thickets which shade and displace native understory plants, shrubs, and tree seedlings. This plant is native to Europe and was first introduced into the United States in the mid 1800s as an ornamental.
Resources
- Element Stewardship Abstract - The Nature Conservancy
- Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service
Selected Images from Invasive.org
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Plant(s)
Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Fruit(s)
Gil Wojciech, Polish Forest Research Institute, Bugwood.org
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Gil Wojciech, Polish Forest Research Institute, Bugwood.org
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Flower(s) Frangula alnus (syn. Rhamnus frangula), glossy buckthorn columnar form
Rob Routledge, Sault College, Bugwood.org
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Rob Routledge, Sault College, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Foliage
Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Tree(s) Vegetative buds pop out on a glossy buckthorn
William Fountain, University of Kentucky, Bugwood.org
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William Fountain, University of Kentucky, Bugwood.org
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Flower(s)
Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Foliage Close-up of pinnately veined leaves
Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org
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Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Foliage Close-up of flowers and fruits
Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Fruit(s) November
Steve Manning, Invasive Plant Control, Bugwood.org
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Steve Manning, Invasive Plant Control, Bugwood.org
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Root(s)
Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org
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Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Plant(s) 1. Flowering branchlet. - 2. Mature shoot with fruits in different ripening stages. - 3. Seedling with first ordinary leaves (germination is hypogeous). - 4. Stone viewed from different aspects. - 5. Winter-branchlet. Naked buds on spurs arranged in helical order. After Hempel & Wilhelm, 1889. Photos and explanations from the book: Zelimir Borzan. "Tree and Shrub Names in Latin, Croatian, English, and German, with synonyms", University of Zagreb, 2001.
Zelimir Borzan, University of Zagreb, Bugwood.org
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Zelimir Borzan, University of Zagreb, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage