CALIFORNIA BUCKTHORN 



Rham'nus califor'nica 



B127 

 (2 leaves) 



Outeif united flower parts (calyx) 

 bearing a disk in the tubular part. 

 5-lobed above; tube splitting around 

 middle, with top part fulling; off and 

 lower part persisting, collarlike, under 

 berryUke fruit 



Petals 5, minute, inserted on edge of 

 calyx disk, cupped around pollen sacs 

 (anthers) of stamens 



Flowers rather small (less than K in. 

 broad), greenish, few, inconspicuous, 

 in stalked clusters (umbels) ^borne in 

 the leaf axils on 1 -year-old twigs; some 

 of flowers poorly developed (abortive) 



"Berry" (drupe) somewhat globe- 

 shaped, about ft in. thick, green when 

 young, turning red or reddish a'nd 

 finally black when ripe, containing 2 

 (rarely 3) "seeds" (nutlets) 



Leaves alternate, evergreen, rather 

 thick, 1 to 3 (rarely 4 or 5) in. long, 

 narrowly to broadly oblong, blunt 01 

 pointed at tips, rounded at bases, entire 

 to finely toothed around edges, dark 

 green and hairless or slightly hairy 

 above, lighter and hairy (sometimes 

 densely silvery-hairy) beneath, stalked 



Twigs slender, somewhat woolly, gray 

 or reddish, with naked winter buds 



This evergreen, olivelike shrub is one of about 14 valid species of 

 Rhamnus found in the West. It is variously known as coffeeberry, 

 pi^eonberry, yerba-del-oso, and cascara sagrada, although tl 

 name is more applicable to the sister species, cascara buckthorn (tf. 

 purshiana). California buckthorn is usually several- to many-stem- 

 med, the stems commonly a few inches or a foot apart, slender, It aiy, 



