''Rhamnus lycioides'', the black hawthorn, European buckthorn, or Mediterranean buckthorn, is a shrub up to about 1.5-4 metres tall in the buckthorn family,

Rhamnaceae The Rhamnaceae are a large Family (biology), 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 specie ...

. It is found in the Mediterranean region, in southern Europe and northern Africa. Its scientific name ''lycioides'' refers to its resemblance to the botanical genus ''

Lycium ''Lycium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The genus has a disjunct distribution around the globe, with species occurring on most continents in temperate and subtropical regions. South America has the most spec ...

''.

Description

''Rhamnus lycioides'' is a slow growth shrub adapted to dry

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

. It is a deciduous or evergreen

shrub A shrub or 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 by their multiple ...

of 1.5–4 meters high with a tangled, thorny, and many-branched form. The bark is grayish, and the young stems are topped with a thorn. Leaves are light green and, 0.5 to 3.5 centimeters long and 0.3 to 1 inch wide. The tip is obtuse to apiculate. The leaf is entire, linear to obovate, glabrous, narrow and elongated, sometimes slightly broadened towards the apex. They are sometimes leathery and persistent. Lateral nerves have little or no markings on the underside. The yellow

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s are inconspicuous, standing in groups and appear in the winter. The calyx shows four sharp corners. The flowers are very small, solitary or in small bundles in the axils of the leaves, greenish-yellow with 4 triangular lobes. The

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s are rudimentary or nonexistent. The fruits ovoid, 4-6 millimeters large, yellowish and are beginning to ripen black. The berry is having inside a single seed or more, depending on the subspecies. It does not bloom and bear fruit at the same time. Several specimens of the same population bear fruit in different months extending the availability of the species as food for birds that disperse their seeds. The berry is purgative, very bitter and in large quantities is toxic to humans.

Subspecies

Five subspecies are recognized: * ''Rhamnus lycioides'' subsp. ''lycioides'' * ''Rhamnus lycioides'' subsp. ''atlantica'' (Murb.) Jahand. & Maire * ''Rhamnus lycioides'' subsp. ''borgiae'' Rivas Mart. & J.M.Pizarro * ''Rhamnus lycioides'' subsp. ''graeca'' (Boiss. & Reut.) Tutin * ''Rhamnus lycioides'' subsp. ''laderoi'' Rivas Mart. & J.M.Pizarro

Ecology

In the Iberian Peninsula is distributed throughout the central, eastern and south and its natural habitat are the sclerophyllous forest, and woods of pines, oaks, holm oaks and quercus coccifera. The species is found in the Mediterranean region, particularly in Spain and the

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

. It also grows on Mediterranean islands and islets, in northern Africa, the Apennine Peninsula and in former

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

on rocky, nutrient-poor soils. The plant appears in

sclerophyllous Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaves, short internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is parallel or oblique to direct ...

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s, scrub, and even solitary in severely degraded drylands as a pioneer species as the species is resilient to

overgrazing Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature ...

and trampling by livestock. It is very resistant to drought, preferring calcareous soils. In extremely dry and windy climates it appears in the rocks. It survives in desert areas with annual rainfall of 200 mm. Rhamnus lycioides Kemer

The plant thrives in dry forests and bushes, under the

Kermes oak ''Quercus coccifera'', the kermes oak or commonly known as Palestine oak, is an oak shrub or tree in section '' Ilex'' of the genus. It has many synonyms, including ''Quercus calliprinos''. It is native to the Mediterranean region and Northern ...

, the Holm oak,

Aleppo pine ''Pinus halepensis'', commonly known as the Aleppo pine, also known as the Jerusalem pine, is a pine native to the Mediterranean region. It was officially named by the botanist Philip Miller in his 1768 book ''The Gardener's Dictionary''; he pro ...

and juniper. It is a very hardy plant, which occupies poor soils, gritty and highly eroded. Along with the gorse and thistles are the latest species to disappear in overgrazed areas, being of inestimable value to small birds for its fruit and as the protection and support for their nests. The species is very important for desert birds by their fruits with high water content. The fruit can cause death in mammals, but is consumed by ants and birds.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q148804 lycioides Flora of North Africa