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Rhamnus
Also called Buckthorns
Rhamnus is a genus of about 140 shrubs and small trees called buckthorns, mostly deciduous, native to East Asia and North America and found across the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Grow the commonly planted members in full sun or part shade in ordinary, well-drained soil; many are tough and adaptable.
Rhamnus is a genus of about 140 accepted species of shrubs or small trees, commonly known as buckthorns, in the family Rhamnaceae. Its species range from 1 to 10 m (3 to 33 ft) tall (rarely to 15 m, 50 ft) and are native mainly in East Asia and North America, but found throughout the temperate and subtropical Northern Hemisphere, and also more locally in the subtropical Southern Hemisphere in parts of Africa and South America.
Both deciduous and evergreen species occur. The leaves are simple, 3 to 15 cm (1 to 6 in) long, and arranged alternately, in opposite pairs, or almost paired (subopposite). One distinctive character of many buckthorns is the way the veination curves upward towards the tip of the leaf. The plant bears fruits which are black or red berry-like drupes. The name is due to the woody spine on the end of each twig in many species.
Rhamnus has a nearly cosmopolitan distribution, with about 140 species which are native from temperate to tropical regions, the majority of species are from east Asia and North America, with a few species in Europe and Africa.
The fruit of most species contain a yellow dye and the seeds are rich in protein. Oils from the seeds are used for making lubricating oil, printing ink, and soap. Many species have been used to make dyes. R. utilis provides china green, a dye used to give a bright green color to silk and wool. The bark of some species of Rhamnus afford a beautiful yellow dye. The fruit of the Avignon buckthorn (R. saxatilis), called the Persian berry, produces a yellow dye.
Mediterranean Buckthorn · Common buckthorn · Rhamnus integrifolia · Gesho
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Rhamnus (plant) by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
