alder buckthorn

Frangula alnus

Alder buckthorn is a small shrub that grows in wet places like riverbanks and marshes. It has shiny green leaves and produces small black berries that birds love to eat!

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The alder buckthorn is a deciduous shrub or small tree, featuring smooth, dark bark often speckled with light lenticels. Its oval, untoothed leaves are glossy green, turning a bright yellow in autumn. Tiny greenish-white flowers give way to berries that ripen from red to shiny black.

KingdomPlantaePhylumTracheophytaClassMagnoliopsidaOrderRosalesFamilyRhamnaceaeGenusFrangula

alder buckthorn

Interesting facts

Wow! Its bark was once dried and used as a key ingredient for making charcoal for gunpowder!

Wow! Some gardeners use it to attract beautiful brimstone butterflies to their yards!

Wow! The berries of this plant dramatically change color from green, to red, then shiny black!

Wow! The wood is incredibly tough and dense, prized for making durable charcoal!

Special abilities

Alder buckthorn has leaves that provide essential food for the caterpillars of the Brimstone butterfly, helping them grow.

Alder buckthorn bark and berries contain compounds that act as a laxative, deterring animals from eating too many.

Alder buckthorn can flower and fruit continuously over several months, offering a steady food source for pollinators and birds.

Measurements & details

Height: 300-700 cm
Spread: 200-500 cm
Flower Size: 0.5-1 cm
Bloom Season: Late spring to early summer
Edible: No
Toxicity: Moderate
Lifecycle: Perennial
Pollination Method: Insect

Ecological connections

eaten by

Brimstone butterfly

Gonepteryx rhamni

Caterpillars feed on its leaves.

eats

Song Thrush

Turdus philomelos

Feeds on its ripe black berries.

pollinates

Honey bee

Apis mellifera

Visits its small, nectar-rich flowers.

Traits

Deciduous

Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons.

Nitrogen Fixing

Describes organisms capable of converting atmospheric nitrogen into compounds usable by plants.

Shrub

A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree, typically with multiple stems branching from or near the ground.

Dye

This human use trait indicates species from which natural dyes can be extracted and used to color textiles, food, or other materials.

Fruit Bearing

Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds.

Edible

Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.

Pollinator Magnet

Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.