Carolina Buckthorn

Even though it is called a buckthorn, Carolina Buckthorn has no spines. The shrub is well known for its bright red drupes during the summer. The fruit eventually mature to black and attracts many wildlife species, especially birds.

The Latin name originally was Rhamnus caroliniana but was changed because the species lacks the thorns of the Rhamnus buckthorns and have naked buds. The naked buds makes this a relatively easy tree to identify in the winter because almost all woody plants in Missouri have bud scales. Botanists chose the genus name Frangula from the word frangible because this shrub and others closely related are supposedly easily broken.

Common Name(s)	Carolina Buckthorn
Latin Name	Frangula caroliniana
Indigenous Name(s)
Cultivar/Variety
Commercial Name

More about Tree #130:

Where to find Arbor Walk #130

Data on the space around this tree

Data on this tree over time

More about Carolina Buckthorn in general:

How to identify Carolina Buckthorn

Relationship of Frangula caroliniana to other species in the Arboretum

Global Distribution of Carolina Buckthorn

Additional Resources on the Carolina Buckthorn