Flower Notes:
Green (Not ornamentally important)
Foliage Notes:
Green (Dark glossy green leaves in summer)
Fruit Notes:
Black (Round and glossy; attractive to birds who spread the seeds; not ornamentally important)
Soil Notes:
Widely adapted to different soils
Diagnostic Characteristics:
Very (1.5-3" long) dark green leaves with 3-5 pairs of prominent curved veins, gray bark, and black fruit. Margins are crenulate-serrulate. By comparison, Rhamnus frangula has 8 or 9 pairs of impressed veins and entire margins. Stems are glaborous with many long spines.