GLEBE TREES AND SHRUBS

European buckthorn (Ramnus cathartica)
  
Leaves
   
May 3, 2008, Broadway Ave. at Brown's Inlet. Photo on right, May 22, 2008
Leaves are roundish to oval, toothed, opposite (sometimes sub-opposite), shiny.





Bark
   
April 24, 2008, Broadway Ave. at Brown's Inlet.
The olive-brown colour with the prominent white lenticels of these young trees makes it quite distinct from the
surrounding shrubbery. Older trees have birch-like bark, though darker. 





Buds
    
March 14, 2009, Broadway Ave. at Brown's Inlet.
This needs to be confirmed as the right identification. The buds are like small furry mice, or little brown bats.





Flowers
 
May 22, 2008





Fruit
      
June 14, 2008 - Early fruit. Buckthorn fruit have three unevenly rounded stones.
April 17, 2009. Last year's fruit, often noted on branches here and there.




Special features
 
Terminal thorn visible in photo.




Similar species
Glossy buckthorn leaves are generally toothless, and there are no terminal thorns on the shoots. European
buckthorn have fine teeth and terminal thorns. In practice, I find that these differentiating features may not
always hold.
List of trees and shrubs with opposite, simple, toothed leaves