Frangula purshiana DC.
cascara
Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
cascara
Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC
Frangula purshiana ssp. purshiana
Species Information
General:
Deciduous shrub or small tree up to 10 m tall with yellow- to brownish hairs, bark silvery-grey.
Leaves:
Alternate, egg-shaped to broadly elliptic, the blades 6-13 cm long, finely toothed with 10-12 conspicuous pairs of parallel veins, the veins short-hairy; stalks 5-23 mm long; stipules lacking.
Flowers:
Inflorescence an axillary, stalked cluster of 8-25 male and/or female flowers; petals 5, greenish, hooded, 3-4 mm long; hypanthium lined with a thin disc; calyces 5-lobed, the lobes triangular, finely hairy.
Fruits:
Berries, 6-10 mm long, black to purplish-black; seeds 3. vol4_6
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
White
Blooming Period:
Mid Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Black
Present from Spring to Summer
Source: The USDA
Habitat and Range
Moist to mesic streambanks, thickets, woodlands and forests in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; common in SW BC, frequent in SC and SE BC south of 51degreeN; S to ID, MD and CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Rhamnus purshiana