Buckthorn

buckthorn, any of about 100 species of shrubs or trees belonging to the genus Rhamnus, family Rhamnaceae, native to temperate areas in the Northern Hemisphere. The cascara buckthorn (R. purshiana) is the source of cascara sagrada, a cathartic drug.

The common, or European, buckthorn (R. cathartica), about 3.5 m (12 feet) high, native to Eurasia, is widely naturalized. It has dark bark, often bears spines, and has dark green, oval leaves. The bark yields a yellow dye, and the small black fruits provide a purgative. The alder, or glossy, buckthorn (R. frangula), growing up to 6 m, is used as an ornamental; a variety, the tallhedge buckthorn (R. frangula, variety columnaris), forms a narrow hedge up to 4.5 m high and a little more than 1 m wide.

Carolina buckthorn (R. caroliniana), also called Indian cherry, forms copses from New York to Florida and Texas. Italian buckthorn (R. alaternus), with several cultivated varieties, is grown as an ornamental in warm areas. The rock buckthorn (R. saxatilis), about 1 m tall, is a low spiny shrub.