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Carolina Buckthorn
Frangula caroliniana
Carolina Buckthorn is a deciduous understory shrub or small tree of streambanks, ravines and rocky bottomland, usually reaching 10 to 15 feet with an equal spread. Inconspicuous greenish-yellow flowers open in late spring, followed by red berries that ripen black by fall and are stripped by songbirds through the fall and winter. It grows best with a few hours of direct sun and shade for the rest of the day, tolerates calcareous, rocky or clay soil, and becomes drought-tolerant once established, though its berries can cause stomach upset if eaten by people.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun · Partial Sun
- USDA zone
- USDA 5–9
- Soil
- Clay · Loam
- Moisture
- Moist · Well-Drained
Vertical layer
Sub-Canopy- Soil pH
- 8
- Plant type
- Deciduous Tree
- Mature height
- 10–15 ft
- Mature spread
- 10–15 ft
- Plant spacing
- 12–24 ft
- Root type
- Tap
- Spread pattern
- Seed
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- Primary
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- Byproduct
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