''Frangula'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of about 35

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

flowering A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

shrubs or small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s, 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 ...

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

Hippophae rhamnoides ''Hippophae rhamnoides'', also known as sea-buckthorn, is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeagnaceae, native to the cold-temperate regions of Europe and Asia. It is a spiny deciduous shrub. The plant is used in the food and cosmetic ...

'' in the

Elaeagnaceae The Elaeagnaceae are a plant family, the oleaster family, of the order Rosales comprising small trees and shrubs, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, south into tropical Asia and Australia. The family has about 60 species i ...

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 ''Frangula alnus'', commonly known as alder buckthorn, glossy buckthorn, or breaking buckthorn, is a tall deciduous shrub in the family Rhamnaceae. Unlike other "buckthorns", alder buckthorn does not have thorns. It is native to Europe, northern ...

'' – alder buckthorn, glossy buckthorn, breaking buckthorn, black dogwood *'' Frangula azorica'' *'' Frangula betulifolia'' – birchleaf buckthorn *''

Frangula californica ''Frangula californica'' (previously classified as ''Rhamnus californica'') is a species of flowering plant in the buckthorn family native to western North America. It produces edible fruits and seeds.http://honest-food.net/2014/08/13/californi ...

'' – 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 Nor ...

'' – cascara buckthorn (synonym ''Rhamnus purshiana'') *''

Frangula rubra ''Frangula rubra'' (syn. ''Rhamnus rubra'') is a species of flowering plant in the buckthorn family known by the common names red buckthorn and Sierra coffeeberry. Distribution It is native to the mountains and plateau areas of northern and ea ...

'' – red buckthorn The European species, alder buckthorn (''

'') was of major

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distin ...

importance in the 15th to 19th centuries, as its

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of ligni ...

provided the best quality charcoal for

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate ( saltpeter) ...

manufacture.

References

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