Angiosperms: Dicotyledons

Rhamnaceae
Buckthorn Family

• Stem: shrub; 2’ tall, wide-spreading; long-hairy on new shoots.
• Leaves: alternate; oval with rounded bases and pointed tips, three main veins from the base of the blades; blades 2 1/2” by 1 1/4”, the tips often curling upward; leaf stalks 3/8”; small teeth on the margins; long-hairy above and below, especially on the veins.
• Inflorescence: tight clusters of small flowers on much-branched flower stalks from the upper leaf axils; above the leaves; clusters up to 4” long; flower stalks very hairy.
• Flowers: petals white, 1/16”, in-curved; sepals 1/32”, oval; flower parts on a broad basal disk; flowering from late June to mid-July.
• Fruits: three-lobed capsules, 1/8” across; opening explosively when mature to eject three seeds; seeds 3/32” long, oblong, with dark brown glossy surface; fruiting begins in mid-July; seeds shed in September.
• Habitat: common on dry, upland prairies and in open woods.
• Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library
• Vascular Plants of Iowa