Photo: Mason Brock (Masebrock), Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Carolina Buckthorn
Frangula caroliniana
Also called indian cherry, yellow buckthorn.
Glossy leaves, red-to-black berries and yellow fall color on a native buckthorn that is nothing like the invasive ones.
Wildlife valueRareFall colorTolerates shadeDrought tolerant
- Type
- Shrub
- Mature height
- 10–20 ft
- USDA zones
- 5–9
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Sun
- Part · Full · Shade
- Soil moisture
- Average · Dry
210
Carolina buckthorn is a thornless, well-behaved large shrub of limestone woods and stream banks in the Southeast and lower Midwest. The showy fruit turns red then black and feeds birds in autumn; the leaves stay green and glossy late into the season. Tolerates shade and drought. Not to be confused with European or glossy buckthorn, which are invasive.
Heights and zones are typical ranges for the species in cultivation; local conditions and seed source shift them. Estimate growth for this species →
Grows in the same conditions
Plants that share its sun and soil
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