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Carolina Buckthorn

Frangula caroliniana

Found in dry to moist barrens, woodlands, and forests, Coastal Plain limestone bluffs and shell middens, especially over mafic or calcareous rocks. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

70
Strong

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
10–15 feet
Spread
10–15 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 12.5 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

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At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
May to June
Fruiting season
Summer to fall

Recorded in 54 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Glades, barrens and outcrops on limestone

Cedar Glade Number 5, Chickamauga and Chattanooga NMP, Catoosa County
Limestone cedar glade. Shown: Cedar Glade Number 5, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Catoosa County, Georgia, a neighboring state.Cedar Glade Number 5, Chickamauga and Chattanooga NMP, Catoosa County, Alan M. Cressler / U.S. Geological Survey, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Forests and woodlands

Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain.
Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Glades, barrens and outcrops on mafic or serpentine rock

Open, thin-soil openings, outcrops and cliffs on dark, magnesium- or iron-rich rock such as serpentine, diabase or gabbro.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 112 animals.

All wildlife of Alabama

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

14CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Rhamnus

  • Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
  • Argyrotaenia quercifolianaYellow-Winged Oak Leafroller Moth, Lined Oak Leafroller
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Iridopsis defectariaBrown-Shaded Gray, Willow Looper
  • Magusa divaricataVariable Narrow-Wing, Orbed Narrow-Wing, Divaricate Narrow-Wing
  • Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
Show all 14
  • Papilio glaucusEastern Tiger Swallowtail
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Syndemis afflictanaFall Dead-Leaf Roller, Gray Leafroller, Black-and-Grey Banded Leafroller
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
7BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Rhamnus

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
12BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Rhamnus

  • Aphelocoma californicaCalifornia Scrub-Jay
  • Campylorhynchus brunneicapillusCactus Wren
  • Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
  • Catharus ustulatusSwainson's Thrush
  • Ixoreus naeviusVaried Thrush
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Patagioenas fasciataBand-tailed Pigeon
  • Sphyrapicus ruberRed-breasted Sapsucker
  • Toxostoma redivivumCalifornia Thrasher
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
Show all 12
  • Tyrannus tyrannusEastern Kingbird
  • Zenaida asiaticaWhite-winged Dove
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Rhamnaceae
Hardiness
Zones 5a–9b
Soil pH
Alkaline
Flower color
Cream or green
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Single crown
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Rhamnus caroliniana; buckthorn

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rankG5
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources