Plant Family: Rhamnaceae
Growth Form: Shrub to small tree up to 5 meters tall.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, oval to broadly elliptic, glossy above, 3 – 7 cm long, margins entire, veins prominent and slightly curving to follow the margins.
Bark: Chocolate brown with white lenticels; the wood is quite brittle and the branches break easily.
Flowers: Small, with five white petals, found in short clusters in the leaf axils, April to June.
Fruits: Green-yellow berries that hold two seeds; turning red and ripening to glossy black, summer into fall; eaten by birds who spread the seeds.
Habitat: Fencerows, thickets, stream borders, understory of deciduous woods, disturbed sites; in sun or shade.
Range: Throughout New England, but less common to the north, ranging west to Minnesota.
Similar Species: Common Buckthorn has opposite (to sub-opposite) lightly toothed leaves with strongly curved veins, spur branches, and twigs that end in a small, sharp spine. Alder-leaved Buckthorn has longer, lightly toothed leaves, is a low shrub, and is only found in wetlands.
Comments: This native of Europe is one of our most problematic invasive species, especially in deciduous woods, where it forms extensive single species stands, shading out native understory plants and the seedlings of forest trees.
