COMMON NAME
Glossy buckthorn
European alder buckthorn
FULL SCIENTIFIC NAME
Frangula alnus Mill.
FAMILY NAME COMMON
Buckthorn family
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC NAME
Frangula alnus
IMAGES
 Close-up of flowers and fruits |
 Close-up of pinnately veined leaves |
 Fruit |
 Flowers |
 Habit |
 Incursion |
 Habitat |
 Roots |
NOMENCLATURE/SYNONYMS
Synonyms: Rhamnus frangula L.
DESCRIPTION
Frangula alnus is a deciduous small tree or coarse shrub that grows up to 6 m (19.7 ft.) tall. It is often confused with Rhamnus cathartica (see similar species below). The young branchlets are pubescent. The short oblong to obovate leaves are 3-7 cm (1-2.5 in.) long and are arranged alternately. They are dark green (in the summer) and shining above, and glabrous or slightly pubescent beneath. The leaves turn greenish-yellow to yellow in the fall, and remain on the plant when most other species have already lost their leaves. The yellow-green flowers of Frangula alnus are bisexual and 5-merous, and arranged in 1-8 flowered sessile, glabrous umbels. This plant flowers after the leaves expand, from May to September . The fruit are globose drupes, changing from red to black, and are 0.6 cm (0.25 in.) across. They ripen from July to August. It is important to note that at any given time there can be flowers, partially ripened fruits (red) and fully ripened fruits (black) present on the same plant. Page References Bailey 645, Crow & Hellquist 243, Gleason & Cronquist 341, Holmgren 321, Magee & Ahles 724. See reference section below for full citations.
SIMILAR SPECIES
Rhamnus cathartica L. (Common buckthorn)
REPRODUCTIVE/DISPERSAL MECHANISMS
The fruit of Frangula alnus are most often dispersed by birds.
DISTRIBUTION
Frangula alnus is native to Europe, North Africa and Central Asia. In the United States, this plant is present from Maine south to Pennsylvania and New Jersey, west to Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is present in all New England states.
HISTORY OF INTRODUCTION IN NEW ENGLAND
Like Rhamnus cathartica, this plant was introduced to the United States before 1800 and started to invade native habitats probably around the early 1900s. In Gray's Manual of Botany (8th edition), the plant is described as "recently and rapidly spreading; likely to become obnoxious."
HABITATS IN NEW ENGLAND
Abandoned Field,Early Successional Forest,Edge,Floodplain Forest,Forest Wetland,Pasture,Planted Forest,Roadside,Shrub Wetland,Vacant Lot,Wet Meadow,Yard or GardenThis plant tolerates more moisture and requires more light than R. cathartica, and can be found in swamps, fens and the edges of bogs. It also can be present in upland habitats such as woodland edges, fencerows and old fields.
THREATS
Frangula alnus is a great threat to wetlands, where it can form dense stands that cause the growth of other species to be suppressed. It is readily dispersed by birds, and the extended productivity of the fruits allows it to be dispersed throughout the summer and fall. It is also an alternative host to crown rust fungi that infects oats.
MANAGEMENT LINKS
Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group (CIPWG)
Illinois Nature Preserves Commission
Illinois Natural History Survey
General description and management guidelines
DOCUMENTATION NEEDS
Documentation required: Specific photograph or snippet of the branch with flowers or fruits and the leaves.
Best time for documentation: Summer, fall.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Integrated Taxonomic Information System
Taxonomic information about the species
PLANTS Database
Shows distribution information as well as having additional links.
The Nature Conservancy
Extensive description and control information
Maine Invasive Plants, University of Maine
General information and photographs