Frangula alnus

glossy buckthorn - Common and glossy buckthorn form thickets along roadsides or infiltrate woodlands, where they are persistent and difficult to remove. The leaves of glossy buckthorn, naturally ranging from Europe through Asia and Africa, are oval and toothless. The fruits turn from reddish to purple-black as their long growing season progresses, and flowers and fruits may be present at once from May through September. First introduced in the 1700s and often planted as hedges, both buckthorn species are now found from southern Canada through the northeastern U.S. in old fields, hedgerows, power line cuttings, and woodland edges. Glossy buckthorn is also common in wetlands, including such important habitats as bogs, beaver meadows, and calcareous fens. [image: (c) New England Wild Flower Society/ Christopher Mattrick]

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