Alder Buckthorn Frangula alnus
Other Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Rhamnus frangula
- Phonetic Spelling
- FRANG-gew-la AL-nus
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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Alder Buckthorn is a small, flowering, evergreen or deciduous tree or shrub with thorny branches and a spreading habit. It will typically grow to a height of 16 feet, but some specimens can reach 20 feet. Alder Buckthorn is native to Europe and northern Africa and most often found in the wild in swamps and damp places and damp open woods, preferring a peaty soil. It does produce a fleshy, black berry that is poisonous when ingested, but it is more often used as an ornamental shrub. The genus name Frangula comes from the word "frango", meaning fragile or brittle, in reference to the tendency of the twigs to break easily. The species name refers to the common occurrence of the plant growing next to alder trees in the wild.
Alder Buckthorn does well in most consistently moist, but not water-logged, moderately fertile soils and prefers neutral to acid conditions and full sun or semi-shade. It does not tolerate strong winds, but is winter hardy. The plant can be pruned to maintain a desired shape or to grow as a hedge, but keep in mind that it flowers on one-year old wood and also on the current year's growth. The plant will spread, suckering new plants from underground runners away from the plant. Birds are attracted to the berries and spread them over the landscape. For this reason and the plant's suckering habit, it is considered invasive in parts of the Northeast and Midwest regions of the United States.
Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems:
Susceptible to japanese beetles, caterpillars and scale. Nematodes can attack the roots. Cankers, leaf spots and rust can be problems. The species in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Frangula
- Species:
- alnus
- Family:
- Rhamnaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- The wood is used to make wooden nails, shoe lasts, veneer, and a high quality charcoal used by artists.
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Layering
- Seed
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Europe to Central Siberia and North West China and North Africa
- Distribution:
- Introduced to central and eastern Canada and central and eastern United States to Tennessee.
- Wildlife Value:
- A good bee plant and a main food plant for the larvae of the yellow brimstone butterfly.
- Edibility:
- Berries can induce vomiting and indigestion when ingested.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 10 ft. 0 in. - 16 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 8 ft. 0 in. - 12 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Poisonous
- Shrub
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Multi-stemmed
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
- Appendage:
- Thorns
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Occasionally Wet
- Available Space To Plant:
- 3 feet-6 feet
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Purple/Lavender
- Red/Burgundy
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Drupe
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Fleshy, small, red to purple-black drupe. about ¼ inch across, globoid in shape, and hairless. As they develop, the drupes change color from green, to yellow, to red, and finally to black. The interior of mature drupes contain 1 to 3 hardened seeds.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Black
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Purple/Lavender
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Solitary
- Umbel
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Small, 4 to 5-parted creamy green flowers, solitary or umbel, in leaf axis of new growth that appear in spring and early summer. The petioles are light green to red and up to a ½ inch long. The solitary flowers and umbels of flowers are sessile. Each flower is about ¼ inch across, consisting of 5 yellowish green to white sepals, 5 white petals, 5 stamens, and a pistil.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Smooth
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Oblong
- Leaf Margin:
- Dentate
- Entire
- Undulate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Alternate or nearly opposite, simple, smooth or toothed, lustrous dark green leaves, 1 to 3 inches long and 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches wide, occur along the young shoots. and twigs. The margins are entire and sometimes undulate. Each leaf has about 6 to 8 pairs of lateral veins that are parallel to each other and curve toward the leaf tips as they approach the leaf margins.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Light Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Furrowed
- Bark Description:
- The older bark is gray and slightly wrinkled or rough-textured.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Green
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Lenticels:
- Conspicuous
- Stem Description:
- Young branches are brown with abundant white lenticels,. Young shoots, however, are light green, pale yellowish brown, or red, terete, and glabrous.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Lawn
- Woodland
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Hedge
- Small Tree
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Butterflies
