Handbook of Tee.es of the ISToetheen States and Canada. 347 



The Common or European Buckthorn or 

 Waj-thorn, sometimes called also the Rhine- 

 berry, is an introduced tree in the United 

 States, as a hedge plant, and has become 

 naturalized in many places throughout the 

 eastern states. It is a native of Europe and 

 western and northern Asia. As we find it in 

 this country it occasionally attains the height 

 of 26 to 30 ft., and its short trunk, sometimes 

 12 or 14 in. in diameter, divides near the 

 ground into large upright limbs, which develop 

 an oblong or spreading bushy top of crooked 

 branches and many small spiny branchlets; or 

 it is often only a spreading bush. It is an 

 interesting species for shrubberies, on account 

 of its small distinct leaves and closely clustered 

 black berries, and it is also a good hedge plant, 

 on account of its many stifle spiny branchlets. 

 Its bark yields a medicine of strong cathartic 

 properties, and is also used in making a yellow 

 dye. 



The wood is heavy, hard, firm, very durable, 



of characteristic fine gi-ain and yellowish or 



pinkish brown color, with narrow light yellow 



sap-wood. It is suitable for use in turnery, 



for tool-handles, etc.i 



Leaves opposite, deciduous, broad ovate or oval, 

 IV2-3 in. long, mostly rounded or obtuse at base, 

 obtuse or acute, finely crenate serrate, glabrous, 

 with 2-4 pairs of prominent veins running from 

 near the base nearly to the apex ; winter buds 

 scaly. Flowrs (May- June) about Vs in. wide, in 

 2-5 axillary clusters, 4 numerous ; petals very 

 narrow. Fruit subglobose, blacls, about % in. 

 across, very bitter and containing 3 or 4 nutlets ; 

 seed sulcate on the bacli.- 



1. A. W., XII, 277. 



2. For genus see p. 448. 



