Carolina buckthorn Rhamnaceae Frangula caroliniana

Leaf:Alternate, simple, elliptical to oblong, 2 to 5 inches long, a few fine and widely spaced teeth, veins are parallel but near edges of leaf turn and follow the edge, shiny green above and slightly paler beneath.
Flower:Very small and inconspicuous, pale yellow-green, bell-shaped, appearing in leaf axils in late spring after the leaves.
Fruit:A small (1/3 inch) round drupe at first red but later turning black, juicy flesh, ripens in late summer.
Twig:Slender, reddish brown with gray pubescence; buds very small, naked and brown with fuzz, strong almond smell when broken; thornless, 3 bundle scars.
Bark:Smooth gray-brown but may have darker blotches, with a few slightly raised lenticels, may become shallowly fissured on larger stems.
Form:Upright shrub or small tree (to 20 feet) with a spreading, open crown.

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