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Project Noah Nature School
Frangula caroliniana
This small, deciduous tree or shrub, usually 12-15 ft. tall, can reach 20 ft. in height with leaves that stay green into late fall. Leaves up to 5 inches long, with a petiole as much as 1/2 inch long; blade ovate to elliptic, sometimes narrow, pointed at the tip and tapered or rounded at the base, margins smooth or with very small, rounded teeth, veins prominent, especially on the lower surface; upper surface of blade smooth, bright green. Flowers not showy, yellowish, in small clusters at the bases of the leaves, opening in May and June. Fruit fleshy, 1/4 inch or more in diameter, red, turning black when ripe.
Bottomlands; stream banks; woods. This one was photographed at Savannah River Bluffs Heritage Preserve in Aiken County, SC.
Songbirds and other wildlife consume the berries, which apparently have medicinal properties but can be toxic. Although called a buckthorn, this species has no spines. It was discovered in South Carolina, hence the common and Latin species names.
Spotted on Sep 15, 2012
Submitted on Feb 24, 2013
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