This is a good Buckthorn in eastern North America as it is native mostly to the southeastern USA, with a range from New York to Florida to southeast Nebraska down into Texas. It is usually a large shrub about 10 to 15 feet high, but can become a small tree about 30 to 40 feet high. It has alternate, lustrous, dark, oblong lance-shaped leaves 2 to 6 inches long with 8 to 10 impressed vein pairs. It bears globose, sort of sweet fruits that change from red to black with maturity. It makes a handsome shrub. Sold by some larger, diverse nurseries and native plant nurseries in the South.

(The Common Buckthorn & the Glossy Buckthorn from Europe escaped cultivation some decades ago and are invasive plants. The former species is very nasty with sharp spurs.)

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