beechleaf frangula
Frangula betulifolia · Rhamnaceae
beechleaf frangula (Frangula betulifolia) is a perennial shrub in the Rhamnaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 5 and warmer, down to about -15°F.
At a glance
| Type | shrub Derived |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 7 ft USDA |
| Light | shade USDA |
| Growth rate | moderate USDA |
| Soil pH | 6–8 USDA |
| Bloom | May–June USDA |
| Flower color | Green USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 5 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | shrub Derived |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It tolerates full shade. It is recorded on soils from pH 6 to 8 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 5.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 7 ft, making it a plant that will finish above head height. It grows at a moderate rate.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of May through June. Flowers are green.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 12 to 33 inches of annual precipitation. The low end of that band is genuinely arid, so it has a wide tolerance for dry country. It needs at least 168 frost-free days to finish its season.
Propagating it
Cuttings is the only propagation method USDA lists.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals find it moderately palatable, so expect deer and rabbits to take an interest.
Role in a guild
Shrub layer. In a layered planting this is woody mid-level structure between the understory and the ground. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Frangula
- glossy buckthorn Frangula alnus
- Carolina buckthorn Frangula caroliniana
- California buckthorn Frangula californica
- Cascara buckthorn Frangula purshiana
Similar role and hardiness
- basin big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata
- bladder senna Colutea arborescens
- Scotch broom Cytisus scoparius
- woolly beachheather Hudsonia tomentosa
- Japanese holly Ilex crenata
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol FRBEB, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Edible, fall conspicuous, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper).
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer, Type.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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