Carolina Buckthorn - Frangula caroliniana

 Category: Shrub,Tree

Common Name: Carolina Buckthorn

Scientific Name: Frangula caroliniana

Sun Conditions:Full Sun/Partial Shade

Soil Conditions: Moist, calcareous, rocky soils; adaptable

Height Range: 12-15 ft (to 30-40 ft in shade)

Width Range: 10-20 ft

Growth Habit: Sparsely branched shrub or small tree; no thorns

Growth Rate: Moderate

Bloom Color: Greenish-yellow to white

Bloom Time: April-June

Seed/Fruit Production: Red drupe ripening to black, Aug-Oct

Foliage Color: Glossy dark green; yellow to orange-red in fall

Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9

Evergreen: No (deciduous; leaves stay glossy and turn yellow in fall)

Deer Resistant: No — deer browse the leaves and bark (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Deer Resistant = No); protect young plants

Forage: Leaves and bark browsed by deer; ripe berries eaten by many birds and some mammals

Poisonous: Mild — NC State rates it "low severity" poison. Immature fruit contains laxative anthraquinones and some people have had severe GI distress after eating berries; ingestion not recommended.

Wildlife Value Highlights: Understory/woodland-edge plantings, hedge or screen, naturalized thickets, pollinator gardens, specimen. Thornless (unlike common buckthorn). Do NOT confuse with invasive glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus) or common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) when buying.

Ecological/Landscape Use: Bright red-to-black berries eaten by many birds and mammals (an early color show that attracts fruit-eating birds); flowers attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators; larval host of the American Snout butterfly

Lepidoptera Supported by Family/Group: Up to 11 Lepidoptera species including the, American Snout butterfly

Lepidoptera Supported by Species: 11

For More Info: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/frangula-caroliniana/