Rhamnus alaternus
Common names: Italian buckthorn
Rhamnus alaternus (Italian buckthorn) is a shrub (family Rhamnaceae) with tiny green to white flowers and oval-shaped leaves found in the San Francisco Bay area and central and south coast ranges of California. It is native to the Mediterranean. It favors scrub and chaparral, forests, and riparian and bottomland habitat. It spreads via seed and resprouts vigorously from the base after damage. Seeds are spread by fruit-eating birds and mammals, ants and in dumped garden waste.
Cal-IPC Rating: Watch
CDFA Rating: None?
Assessment(s)
Plant Risk Assessment
Species ID Card
Invasive Species ID Card - To support field identification of early detection species, Cal-IPC has designed a set of Species ID cards that can be downloaded, printed double-sided, and trimmed to size.
Weed Management Notes
No Weed RIC Management Notes are available for this species. Check for information on other species in the genus on the Weed RIC site.Cal-IPC Newsletter Articles
There are no newsletter articles associated with this species yet.
Cal-IPC Symposium Presentations
Presentations are linked where available. Where a presentation is not available, find more information by reading the abstract in the Cal-IPC Symposia Archive.
- New and expanding weeds in California. Kelch, Dean (2011)
Other Rhamnus alaternus Information
- CalPhotos - Images of plants taken mostly in California.
- Calflora - Distribution map and records of this species in California.
- CalWeedMapper - Distribution map of this species in California with ability to determine regional priorities.
- EDDMapS - Distribution of this species in North America.
- Jepson Interchange - Information on this plant's taxonomy, biology, and distribution from UC Berkeley's Jepson Herbarium.
- USDA PLANTS Database - Information on identification and distribution, with links to websites in individual states.
Additional photos
