glossy buckthorn
Frangula alnus · Rhamnaceae
glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus) is a perennial shrub in the Rhamnaceae family. It is introduced to North America rather than native. USDA records it as hardy in zone 3 and warmer, down to about -38°F.
⚠ Invasive or noxious status. USDA lists this plant with an invasive or noxious weed status somewhere in its range. Check your state's noxious weed list before planting it — in some states it is illegal to sell or plant.
Both flags are quoted from USDA PLANTS, not inferred.
At a glance
| Type | shrub Derived |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | introduced USDA |
| Mature height | 12 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Water need | medium USDA |
| Growth rate | rapid USDA |
| Soil pH | 5–6.5 USDA |
| Bloom | April–May USDA |
| Flower color | Yellow USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 3 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | shrub Derived |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
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 needs full sun. USDA rates it as having moderate water needs. Its drought tolerance is rated medium. It will not tolerate waterlogged soil — USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance as none. It is recorded on soils from pH 5 to 6.5 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 3.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 12 ft, making it a small tree or large shrub. It grows quickly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of April through May. Flowers are yellow.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, medium in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. Its active growth period is spring and summer. Its winter foliage is dense, which makes it useful for year-round screening. USDA rates its lifespan as moderate.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 35 to 60 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 90 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 14 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
Propagate it from cuttings, bare root and container stock. Seed needs cold stratification — a period of moist chilling — before it will germinate, so sow in autumn or chill it artificially before a spring sowing. It does not spread vegetatively, so it will stay where you put it.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals find it moderately palatable, so expect deer and rabbits to take an interest. Its fire tolerance is rated medium, and it can resprout after damage. Its growth form is recorded as multiple stem.
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
- beechleaf frangula Frangula betulifolia
- Carolina buckthorn Frangula caroliniana
- California buckthorn Frangula californica
- Cascara buckthorn Frangula purshiana
Similar role and hardiness
- leadplant Amorpha canescens
- false indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa
- moundscale Atriplex ×aptera
- shadscale saltbush Atriplex confertifolia
- Gardner's saltbush Atriplex gardneri
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol FRAL4, 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: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Invasive status, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer, Type.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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