Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Rosales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Frangula caroliniana
FAMILY
Rhamnaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may also want to check Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
Leaves have a distinctive look; they are narrowly elliptic to almost oblong, growing to about 4" long but only about 1-1.5" wide. In addition, the leaves feature strongly diagonal, parallel leaf veins, with about 8-10 pairs of veins. Read more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Frangula caroliniana
FAMILY
Rhamnaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Frangula caroliniana
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 119-04-001:
Rhamnus caroliniana FAMILY Rhamnaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Rhamnus caroliniana
COMMON NAME:
Carolina Buckthorn, Polecat-tree, Indian Currant, Indian-cherry
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_757
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_frca13_001_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_rhca2_001_lvd
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JK Marlow jkm230228_1292
February Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
Winter buds naked, pubescent, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
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JK Marlow jkm120415_011
April Pickens County SC
Clemson Forest
Leaf blades 4-6" long; parallel veins prominent, margins finely toothed, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
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JK Marlow jkm130420_579
April Pickens County SC
Leaves finely toothed, soft-textured, veins slightly arcuate, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).
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JK Marlow jkm220420_7046
April Greenville County SC
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JK Marlow jkm220420_7049
April Greenville County SC
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JK Marlow jkm220420_7050
April Greenville County SC
Bark smooth, grayish; inner bark yellowish, odorous, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).
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John B. Nelson jbn_3535234593_644a1d3dd4
May
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JK Marlow jkm230606_3742
June Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
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Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_f_caroliniana_caro
June
Corolla less than 1/4" wide; flowers in few-flowered clusters in leaf axils, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
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JK Marlow jkm120815_758
August Haywood County NC
Corneille Bryan Native Garden
Veins parallel with 8-10 pairs (vein ends following margins), per Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm120815_760
August Haywood County NC
Corneille Bryan Native Garden
Leaves largest towards branch tip, per Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm120815_763
August Haywood County NC
Corneille Bryan Native Garden
)
Bobby Hattaway rah_f_caroliniana2
August Bryan County GA
In cultivation
)
Bobby Hattaway rah_f_caroliniana4
September Bryan County GA
In cultivation
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_f_caroliniana_3
September
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Ron Lance rwl1212_a2
September
Fruit a globose 3/8" drupe, red in summer becoming black at maturity, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm0511a_35
November Haywood County NC
Corneille Bryan Native Garden
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_f_caroliniana_2
November
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Frangula caroliniana
FAMILY
Rhamnaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Frangula caroliniana
FAMILY
Rhamnaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Frangula caroliniana
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 119-04-001:
Rhamnus caroliniana
FAMILY
Rhamnaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Rhamnus caroliniana
1212
Shrub; Tree
Perennial
Habitat: Dry to moist barrens, woodlands, and forests, Coastal Plain limestone bluffs and shell middens, especially over mafic or calcareous rocks, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Uncommon (rare in Coastal Plain) (rare in NC Mountains)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Not armed
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
Margins minutely toothed above middle of blade
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Greenish-white
5-merous
Bisexual
Flowers in few-flowered clusters in leaf axils
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Red->Black
Drupe
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005) p340
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p313
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p363
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p513
- How to Recognize Shrubs (Grimm, 1966) p183
- Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995) p256
- Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants p107
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p091
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p282
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p308
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p134
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p38
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p144
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".