? Buckthorn
Alder Buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Rosales Family: Rhamnaceae Genus: Rhamnus
Species
See text Download high resolution version (874x693, 93 KB)Alder Buckthorn Rhamnus frangula foliage and fruit - photo User:MPF File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Divisions Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants Adiantum pedatum (a fern... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants (also angiosperms) are a major group of land plants. ... Orders see text Dicotyledons or dicots are flowering plants whose seed contains two embryonic leaves or cotyledons. ... Families Barbeyaceae Cannabaceae (hemp family) Dirachmaceae Elaeagnaceae Moraceae (mulberry family) Rosaceae (rose family) Rhamnaceae (buckthorn family) Ulmaceae (elm family) Urticaceae (nettle family) For the Philippine municipality, see Rosales, Pangasinan. ... Genera See text Rhamnaceae, the Buckthorn family, is a large family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs and some vines. ...

The Buckthorns Rhamnus are a genus (or two genera, if Frangula is treated as distinct) of about 100 species of shrubs or small trees from 1-10 m tall (rarely to 15 m), in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. They are native throughout the temperate and subtropical Northern Hemisphere, and also more locally in the subtropical Southern Hemisphere in parts of Africa and South America. A willow shrub A shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 6 m tall. ... The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth A tree can be defined as a large, perennial, woody plant. ... Genera See text Rhamnaceae, the Buckthorn family, is a large family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs and some vines. ... The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planets surface (or celestial sphere) that is north of the equator (the word hemisphere literally means half ball). On Earth, the Northern Hemisphere contains most of the land and population. ... The Southern Hemisphere of Earth highlighted in yellow. ... // Etymology World map showing Africa (geographically) The name Africa came into Western use through the Romans, who used the name Africa terra — land of the Afri (plural, or Afer singular) — for the northern part of the continent, as the province of Africa with its capital Carthage, corresponding to modern-day... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...

Both deciduous and evergreen species occur. The leaves are simple, 3-15 cm long, and arranged either alternately or in opposite pairs. One semi-unique characteristic 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 comes from the fact that there is a woody spine on the end of each twig in many species. The leaves are eaten by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Emperor Moth. Deciduous means temporary or tending to fall off (deriving from the Latin word decidere, to fall off). ... A Silver Fir shoot showing three successive years of retained leaves In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant which retains its leaves year-round, with each leaf persisting for more than 12 months. ... A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ... Super Families Butterflies Hesperioidea Papilionoidea Moths Micropterigoidea Heterobathmioidea Eriocranioidea Acanthopteroctetoidea Lophocoronoidea Neopseustoidea Mnesarchaeoidea Hepialoidea Nepticuloidea Incurvarioidea Palaephatoidea Tischeriodea Simaethistoidea Tineoidea Gracillarioidea Yponomeutoidea Gelechioidea Zygaenoidea Sesioidea Cossoidea Tortricoidea Choreutoida Urodoidea Galacticoidea Schreckensteinioidea Epermenioidea Pterophoroidea Aluctoidea Immoidea Axioidea Hyblaeoidea Thyridoidea Whalleyanoidea Pyraloidea Mimallonoidea Lasiocampoidea Geometroidea Drepanoidea Bombycoidea Calliduloidae Hedyloidea Noctuoidea Families About... Binomial name Pavonia pavonia Linnaeus, 1758 The Emperor Moth (Pavonia pavonia) is a moth of the family Saturniidae. ...

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
  • Rhamnus alaternus
  • Rhamnus alnifolia
  • Rhamnus cathartica
  • Rhamnus crocea
  • Rhamnus infectoria
  • Rhamnus prinoides
  • Rhamnus tinctoria
  • Rhamnus utilis

• Subgenus Frangula: flowers with five petals, buds without bud scales, leaves always alternate, branches without spines
  • Rhamnus californica (Frangula californica)
  • Rhamnus caroliniana (Frangula caroliniana)
  • Rhamnus frangula (Frangula alnus)
  • Rhamnus glandulosa
  • Rhamnus latifolia (Frangula azorica)
  • Rhamnus purshiana (Frangula purshiana)

Purging Buckthorn Rhamnus cathartica

The Purging Buckthorn or Common Buckthorn (R. cathartica) is a widespread European 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 as a garden shrub, this has become an invasive species in many areas there. It has recently been discovered to be a primary host of the soybean aphid Aphis glycines, a problem pest for soybean 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. Purging Buckthorn leaves and berries Source: US National Park Service invasive plants factsheet File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Purging Buckthorn leaves and berries Source: US National Park Service invasive plants factsheet File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... World map showing Europe (geographically) When considered a continent, Europe is the worlds second-smallest continent in terms of area, with an area of 10,600,000 km² (4,140,625 square miles), making it larger than Australia only. ... A laxative is a preparation used for the purpose of encouraging defecation, or the elimination of feces. ... The term Herbalism refers to folk and traditional medicinal practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. ... Part of a garden in Bristol, England A flower bed in the gardens of Bristol Zoo, England Checkered flower bed in Tours, France A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. ... Purple flowers of the highly invasive Pattersons Curse infest the Warrumbungle National Park in New South Wales, Australia. ... Families There are 10 families: Adelgidae - adelgids, conifer aphids Anoeciidae Aphididae Drepanosiphidae Greenideidae Hormaphididae Lachnidae Mindaridae Pemphigidae Phloeomyzidae Phylloxeridae Thelaxidae Aphids or aphides, also known as blight, greenfly, plant lice (superfamily Aphidoidea) are minute plant-feeding insects (1 to 10 mm). ... Binomial name Glycine max Merr. ...

Another European species, Alder Buckthorn (R. frangula, syn. Frangula alnus) was of major military importance in the 15th-19th centuries, as its wood provided the best quality charcoal for gunpowder manufacture. A tree trunk as found at the Veluwe, The Netherlands Wood is the xylem tissue of woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs. ... Charcoal is the blackish residue consisting of impure carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents of animal and vegetable substances. ... Gunpowder whether black powder or smokeless powder, is a substance which burns very rapidly and is used as a propellant in firearms. ...

Other notable European species include Alaternus Buckthorn (R. alaternus), an evergreen species from the Mediterranean region, and Dyer's Buckthorn (R. tinctoria). This last species is used, together with the Asian Chinese Buckthorn (R. utilis), to produce the dye "china green". Another species, Avignon Buckthorn (R. infectoria) provides the yellow dye Persian berry, made from the berries. World map showing Asia (geographically) Asia is the central and eastern part of Eurasia and worlds largest continent. ... Yarn drying after being dyed in the early American tradition, at Conner Prairie living history museum. ... Persian berry is the fruit of the Avignon Buckthorn Rhamnus infectorius, a species of buckthorn, used for dyeing yellow. ...

Sanguinho (R. glandulosa) is endemic to the Macaronesian islands, where it is found in the laurisilva forests of the Madeira and Canary Islands. In biology and ecology endemic means exclusively native to a place or biota, in contrast to cosmopolitan or one of various ways of being not native (e. ... Macaronesia Macaronesia is a modern invented 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. ... Laurisilva is a type of humid subtropical forest found on several of the Macaronesian islands of the north Atlantic, namely the Azores, Madeira Islands, and the Canary Islands. ... Location |Image:Madeira map2. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

The Cascara Buckthorn (R. purshiana, syn. Frangula purshiana), native to the western United States, was also used as a purgative by Native American tribes and early Spanish colonists (under the name cascara sagrada, Spanish for "sacred bark", referring to the bark extract consumed). It is the largest species of buckthorn, reaching 15 m tall on occasion. A laxative is a preparation used for the purpose of encouraging defecation, or the elimination of feces. ... Native Americans is a term which has several different common meanings and scope, according to regional use and context. ...

Other American native species include Alder-leaf Buckthorn (R. alnifolia) right across the continent, Carolina Buckthorn (R. (F.) caroliniana) in the east, and the evergreen California Buckthorn or Coffeeberry (R. (F.) californica) and Hollyleaf Buckthorn (R. crocea) in the west.

Buckthorns may be confused with Dogwoods, 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 and known as "gesho" in Ethiopia. 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. Subgenera Cornus Benthamidia Swida The Dogwoods comprise a group of 30-50 species of deciduous woody plants (shrubs and trees) in the family Cornaceae, divided into one to nine genera or subgenera (depending on botanical interpretation). ... Mead Wikibooks Cookbook has more about this subject: Mead Mead is a fermented alcoholic beverage made of honey, water, and yeast. ...

Rhamnus diffusus is a small shrub native from the Valdivian temperate rain forests in Chile. The Valdivian temperate rain forests are a terrestrial ecoregion located on the west coast of southern South America, in Chile and extending into a small part of Argentina. ...

External links

• Scientific chemical research on African Rhamnus
• Rhamnus diffusus pictures from Chilebosque