FNPS Plant Database

Frangula caroliniana

Carolina buckthorn

PHOTOS COMING SOON!

Nomenclature

Common Name:

Carolina buckthorn

Synonym(s):

Rhamnus caroliniana

Genus species:

Frangula caroliniana

Family:

Rhamnaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

12-15 (40) ft

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white,green

Fruit Color:

red,black

Phenology:

deciduous

Noted For:

Showy Fruits, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Specimen tree, can also be containerized, hedge plant, patio plant, or median plant.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries

Propagation:

Seed.

Light:

Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

Coming Soon!

Somewhat moist, no flooding ---to--- Short very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam

Soil pH:

Calcareous

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Caterpillars, Birds



  • Pollinated by insects


  • Larvel host for eastern tiger swallowtail


Eaten and dispersed by birds, especially songbirds.

Native Habitats:

Moist deciduous forests, shell middens, calcareous woods.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Citations:

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=frca13 https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=2593&context=rtd

Minno, Marc and Maria Minno.  1999. Florida Butterfly Gardening.  University Press of Florida. 



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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