Frangula purshiana DC. subsp. purshiana
cascara
Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
cascara
Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Photograph
Map
Distribution of Frangula purshiana subsp. purshiana
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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
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