Rhamnus crocea

Rhamnus crocea
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rhamnaceae
Genus: Rhamnus
Species: R. crocea
Binomial name
Rhamnus crocea
Natural range
Rhamnus crocea flowers

Rhamnus crocea, the spiny redberry, is a species of buckthorn. There are two subspecies: Rhamnus crocea subsp. crocea (redberry[1] buckthorn) and Rhamnus crocea subsp. pilosa (hollyleaf buckthorn). It is native to California, Arizona, and Baja California.

Description

This evergreen shrub, Rhamnus crocea, is typically one to two meters in height.[2] R. crocea typically occurs in chaparral, with common flora associates being toyon and hollyleaf cherry.[3]

Distribution

Rhamnus crocea covers two major mountain foothills. In California, it surrounds the entire San Joaquin Valley, the pacific coast ranges and the western foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. In Arizona, it is found in the entire length of the Mogollon Rim to the western region of the White Mountains.[4]

Uses

The fruit of Rhamnus crocea was used as food by Native Americans in the Western United States.[5] When eaten in large quantities, the berry is reported to impart a red tint to the entire body of the consumer.[6]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Flowering Plants of the Santa Monica Mountains, Nancy Dale, revised 2000, p. 168
  2. ↑ L. Abrams, 1951
  3. ↑ C.M. Hogan, 2008
  4. ↑ Little, Atlas of United States Trees, Volume 3, Minor Western Hardwoods, Map 150-SW, R. crocea, hollyleaf buckthorn.
  5. ↑ Charles Francis Saunders, 1934
  6. ↑ Charles Francis Saunders, 1934

References

  • LeRoy Abrams (1951) Illustrated Flora of the Pacific States, Stanford University Press, 874 pages ISBN 0-8047-0005-2
  • Little. Atlas of United States Trees, Volume 3, Minor Western Hardwoods, Little, Elbert L, 1976, US Government Printing Office. Library of Congress No. 79-653298. Map 150-SW, Rhamnus crocea, hollyleaf buckthorn.
  • C. Michael Hogan (2008) Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), GlobalTwitcher, ed. N. Stromberg
  • Charles Francis Saunders (1934) Edible and Useful Wild Plants, Dover Publications, Inc., 257 Pages Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 75-46193
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