Flora of North America species comparison

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Rhamnus crocea

Rhamnus alaternus

hollyleaf buckthorn, redberry, redberry buckthorn, spiny redberry

evergreen buckthorn, Italian buckhorn, Italian buckthorn
Habit Shrubs, 1.2–2(–4) m, usually armed with thorns. Shrubs, 0.5–6(–10) m, unarmed.
Branchlets

reddish to red-purple or orange-brown; glabrous.

purplish brown, puberulent.
Leaves

persistent, alternate;

petiole 2–6 mm;

blade usually dull green abaxially, shiny dark green adaxially, elliptic to obovate or ovate, 0.7–2 cm, distinctly coriaceous, base cuneate to truncate, margins coarsely serrate, spinulose-serrulate, or entire, apex obtuse to emarginate, both surfaces glabrous;

secondary veins 5–7 pairs, all diverging at nearly same angle.

persistent, alternate;

petiole 4–10 mm;

blade dull to glossy yellowish green on both surfaces, elliptic to elliptic-obovate, ovate, or ovate-lanceolate, 2–4(–6) cm, distinctly coriaceous, base acute to obtuse, margins sharply serrate to spinulose-serrate, apex acute to subspinulose, both surfaces glabrous except abaxial vein axils tomentose;

secondary veins (3–)4–5 pairs, basal pair diverging much more acutely than distal pairs.
Inflorescences

fascicles or flowers solitary.

cymes or flowers solitary.
Pedicels

2–3 mm.

2–6 mm.
Drupes

red, globose, 5–8 mm;

stones 2.

dark red, becoming black, globose, 5–7 mm;

stones 3.
Sepals

4(–5).

5.
Petals

0.

0.

Rhamnus crocea

Rhamnus alaternus
Phenology Flowering (Jan–)Mar–May. Flowering (Feb–)Mar–Jun.
Habitat Dry washes and canyons, coastal and inland dunes, alluvial fans, gravel flood plains, disturbed sandy flats, brushy slopes, steep granitic slopes, woodlands, coastal sage scrub, chaparral. Woodland edges, fencerows, low areas, stream banks, canyons, arroyos.
Elevation 50–1200 m. (200–3900 ft.) 0–400 m. (0–1300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Europe [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Rhamnus crocea and closely related species were considered conspecific by C. B. Wolf (1938), who treated those in the flora area as subspp. crocea, ilicifolia, pilosa, and pirifolia; he also recognized subsp. insula (Kellogg) C. B. Wolf from Mexico (Baja California). The taxa are distinctive, but intermediates exist. Wolf identified R. crocea/ilicifolia intermediates from Marin County to the California/Mexico boundary, and R. ilicifolia/insula, R. crocea/pilosa, and R. ilicifolia/pilosa intermediates in southern California, especially in San Diego County.

Arizona plants (Pima County, especially in the Ajo Mountains) identified as Rhamnus crocea (for example, K. Christie 2006) appear to be populational variants of the single species present there, R. ilicifolia (R. Felger, pers. comm.). In California, where the two are sympatric over a relatively broad region, R. crocea is distinct from R. ilicifolia in usually bearing thorns and in having smaller leaves with less spinulose margins.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 47. FNA vol. 12, p. 50.
Parent taxa Rhamnaceae > Rhamnus Rhamnaceae > Rhamnus
Sibling taxa
R. alaternus, R. alnifolia, R. arguta, R. cathartica, R. davurica, R. ilicifolia, R. japonica, R. lanceolata, R. pilosa, R. pirifolia, R. serrata, R. smithii, R. utilis
R. alnifolia, R. arguta, R. cathartica, R. crocea, R. davurica, R. ilicifolia, R. japonica, R. lanceolata, R. pilosa, R. pirifolia, R. serrata, R. smithii, R. utilis
Name authority Nuttall: in J. Torrey and A. Gray, Fl. N. Amer. 1: 261. (1838) — (as croceus) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 193. (1753)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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