Alder buckthorn
Frangula alnus
- Description: Deciduous shrub with dark grey bark,
the trunk is furrowed. - Leaves: The leaves are alternate, ovate with entire margin, widely reversed, egg-shaped. The right side
is bald, on the reverse side they have 8 pairs
of prominently grooved and slightly downy veins. - Flowers: Five greenish-yellow, hermaphrodite flowers arranged in cymes. Flowers appear in May-June.
- Fruits: The fruit is a small, black-violet berry.
- Growing conditions: Semi-shade loving tree demanding humid soil. It needs soils with low pH.
- Habitat: Europe, Siberia and North Asia Minor.
In Slovakia it grows especially in alder forests, moorlands and pine woods. - Use: Medicinal herb, its bark and fruits are applied for medicinal purposes.
- Interesting facts: The entire tree is poisonous.