Rhamnus ilicifolia |
Rhamnus utilis |
|
---|---|---|
evergreen buckthorn, holly leaf redberry, redberry |
Chinese buckthorn |
|
Habit | Shrubs or small trees, 1–4 m, unarmed. | |
Branchlets | gray, stiff, glabrous or densely and softly hirtellous. |
|
Leaves | persistent, alternate; petiole 2–10 mm; blade usually dull green, sometimes reddish brown, abaxially, glossy to dull green adaxially, broadly elliptic to oblong, orbiculate, or ovate, 2–4.5 cm, distinctly coriaceous, base cuneate to nearly truncate, margins spinulose to spinose-dentate, apex rounded or obtuse to truncate or emarginate, both surfaces glabrous; secondary veins 5–7 pairs, all diverging at nearly same angle. |
|
Inflorescences | fascicles or flowers solitary. |
|
Pedicels | 2–4 mm. |
|
Drupes | red, globose, 4–6(–8) mm; stones 2. |
|
Sepals | 4. |
|
Petals | 0. |
|
2n | = 24. |
|
Rhamnus ilicifolia |
Rhamnus utilis |
|
Phenology | Flowering Jan–Jun. | |
Habitat | Canyon slopes and bottoms, rock faces, open hillsides, sandstone ridges, serpentine slopes, roadsides, stream benches, riparian areas, meadows, coastal sage scrub, chaparral/desert transition, chaparral, woodlands, montane forests. | |
Elevation | 100–2200(–2400) m. (300–7200(–7900) ft.) | |
Distribution |
AZ; CA; NV; OR; Mexico (Baja California)
|
CT; IA; IL; MI; OH; Asia [Introduced in North America] |
Discussion | Varieties 3 (1 in the flora). Infraspecific taxa in Rhamnus are usually described at the rank of subspecies, whereas those of R. utilis (all Chinese) are described as varieties. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 48. | FNA vol. 12, p. 51. |
Parent taxa | Rhamnaceae > Rhamnus | Rhamnaceae > Rhamnus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Subordinate taxa | ||
Synonyms | R. crocea subsp. ilicifolia, R. crocea var. ilicifolia | |
Name authority | Kellogg: Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 2: 37. (1863) — (as ilicifolius) | Decaisne: Compt. Rend. Hebd. Séances Acad. Sci. 44: 1141. (1857) |
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