Angiosperms: Dicotyledons

Rhamnaceae
Buckthorn Family

• Stem: shrub; 2’ to 3’ tall; wide-spreading; new growth yellow-hairy.
• Leaves: alternate; oval with rounded bases and pointed tips; three main veins from the base of the blade; blades 1 3/8” by 1/2” and larger; leaf stalks 1/4”, hairy; fine-toothed margins; very hairy above and below.
• Inflorescence: dense clusters of flowers on branching flower stalks from the upper leaf axils; clusters about 4” long.
• Flowers: petals white, 1/16”, in-curved; sepals 1/32”, oval; flower parts on a broad basal disk; flowering from mid-May to early June.
• Fruits: three-lobed capsules, 1/8” across; opening explosively when mature to eject three seeds; seeds 3/32” long, oblong with light brown, glossy surface; fruiting begins in early June; seeds shed beginning in mid-June.
• Habitat: common on dry, upland, and Loess Hills prairies in western Iowa; occasionally in dry, open woods; very infrequent in eastern Iowa.
• Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library