Rhamnus

Rhamnus frangula - alder buckthorn, common buckthorn

The common buckthorn grows naturally throughout Finland, apart from the north of Lapland. Often it is a small tree but if it is damaged, it sprouts from the base and continues life as a shrub. The small flowers are yellow-green and the berries ripen from green through red to black. They attract birds, so new shrubs spread widely. In fertile moist soils and good light the buckthorn develops into a beautiful, small, slender-branched tree with a round crown. The wood is a bright orange.