Black Hawthorn (Rhamnus lycioides)
Description
Rhamnus lycioides, the black hawthorn, European buckthorn, or Mediterranean buckthorn, is a shrub up to about 1 metre tall in the Rhamnaceae (buckthorn) family. 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. This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Rhamnus lycioides is a slow growth shrub adapted to dry Mediterranean climate. It is a deciduous or evergreen shrub of 1.5–3 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 flowers 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 petals are rudimentary or nonexistent. The fruits ovoid, 4-6 millimeters
Taxonomic tree
-
Domain: Eukarya
-
-
Kingdom: Plantae
-
-
Phylum:
-
-
Class: Magnoliopsida
-
-
Order: Rosales
-
-
Family: Rhamnaceae
-
-
Genus: Rhamnus
-
-
-
-
-
-
