''Frangula'' is a genus of about 35 species of flowering

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s or small trees, commonly known as alder buckthorn in the buckthorn family

Rhamnaceae The Rhamnaceae are a large family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs, and some vines, commonly called the buckthorn family. Rhamnaceae is included in the order Rosales. The family contains about 55 genera and 950 species. The Rhamnaceae h ...

. The common name buckthorn is also used to describe species of the genus '' Rhamnus'' in the same family and also sea-buckthorn, '' Hippophae rhamnoides'' in the Elaeagnaceae.

Description

''Frangula'' is a genus of deciduous shrubs with alternate, simple leaves with

stipules In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole). Stipules are considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many speci ...

, buds without bud scales, branches without spines and flowers with five petals and undivided styles. The fruits are 2 to 4-seeded berries. Selected species include: *'' Frangula alnus'' – alder buckthorn, glossy buckthorn, breaking buckthorn, black dogwood *''

Frangula azorica ''Frangula azorica'' is a tall semi-deciduous shrub or small tree in the family Rhamnaceae. It is endemic to the Azores, Portugal. Fossil evidence suggests this species was also native to Madeira but went extinct. It is threatened by habitat loss ...

'' *'' Frangula betulifolia'' – birchleaf buckthorn *'' Frangula californica'' – California buckthorn, coffeeberry *'' Frangula caroliniana'' – Carolina buckthorn, Indian cherry (synonym ''Rhamnus caroliniana'') *''

Frangula purshiana ''Frangula purshiana'' (cascara, cascara buckthorn, cascara sagrada, bearberry, and in the Chinook Jargon, chittem stick and chitticum stick; syn. ''Rhamnus purshiana'') is a species of plant in the family Rhamnaceae. It is native to western ...

'' – cascara buckthorn (synonym ''Rhamnus purshiana'') *'' Frangula rubra'' – red buckthorn The European species, alder buckthorn ('' Frangula alnus'') was of major military importance in the 15th to 19th centuries, as its wood provided the best quality

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...

for gunpowder manufacture.

References

Rhamnaceae genera Taxa named by Philip Miller {{Rhamnaceae-stub