Common Buckthorn
Rhamnus cathartica
Found in disturbed areas. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you
Not native to West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 76%
- Height
- 18–30 feet
- Spread
- 15–20 feet
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Somewhat dry to moist
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Do not plant. Listed invasive in West Virginia.
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At a glance
- Life cycle
- Woody perennial
- Leaves
- Deciduous
- Bloom
- April to June
County records are not available.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground
Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 70 animals.
- Blue-headed VireoVireo solitarius
- Blue-winged WarblerVermivora pinus
- Canada WarblerWilsonia canadensis
- Carolina WrenThryothorus ludovicianus
- Chestnut-sided WarblerDendroica pensylvanica
- Chuck-will's-widowCaprimulgus carolinensis
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quiscula
- Eastern Wood-peweeContopus virens
- Evening GrosbeakCoccothraustes vespertinus
- Hooded WarblerWilsonia citrina
- Northern ParulaParula americana
- Olive-sided FlycatcherContopus cooperi
- Orange-crowned WarblerVermivora celata
- Pine WarblerDendroica pinus
- Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostra
- Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
- Scarlet TanagerPiranga olivacea
- Swainson's WarblerLimnothlypis swainsonii
- White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
- White-winged CrossbillLoxia leucoptera
- Yellow-throated WarblerDendroica dominica
Widespread birds also seen here (38)
Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.
- Alder Flycatcher
- American Crow
- American Goldfinch
- American Kestrel
- American Robin
- Belted Kingfisher
- Blue Grosbeak
- Blue Jay
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
- Cedar Waxwing
- Chimney Swift
- Chipping Sparrow
- Common Nighthawk
- Common Raven
- Cooper's Hawk
- Dark-eyed Junco
- Eastern Kingbird
- Eastern Towhee
- European Starling
- Fox Sparrow
- Great Crested Flycatcher
- Great Horned Owl
- Least Flycatcher
- Mourning Dove
- Northern Cardinal
- Northern Flicker
- Northern Mockingbird
- Osprey
- Purple Finch
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Tufted Titmouse
- Turkey Vulture
- Wild Turkey
- Yellow-breasted Chat
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
Who uses this plant?
17CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV
Genus host records with ranges including WV · Rhamnus
- Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
- Argyrotaenia quercifolianaYellow-Winged Oak Leafroller Moth, Lined Oak Leafroller
- Celastrina luciaLucia Azure
- Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
- Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
- Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
- Iridopsis defectariaBrown-Shaded Gray, Willow Looper
- Lacanobia subjunctaSpeckled Arches, Subdues Arches, Harnessed Mamestra, Speckled Cutworm Moth, Grand Arches?(incorrectly)
- Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
- Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
Show all 17
- Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
- Papilio glaucusEastern Tiger Swallowtail
- Rhopobota naevanaBlackheaded Fireworm, Holly Bud Moth, Holly Tortrix
- 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
- Triphosa haesitataTissue Moth, Brown Tissue
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
5BirdsRecorded eating Rhamnus in West Virginia
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes West Virginia, most records first.
- Wild TurkeyFruit. 3 diet records
- Swainson's ThrushSeeds and fruit. 2 diet records
- American RobinFruit. 1 diet record
- Eastern KingbirdFruit. 1 diet record
- Hermit ThrushFruit and seeds. 1 diet record
Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
Birds that eat Rhamnus 5
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
Plant details
- Family
- Rhamnaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 3a–7b
- Soil pH
- Neutral to alkaline
- Flower color
- Yellow or green
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “April to June” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “Yellow or green” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Hardiness · “Zones 3a–7b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “18–30 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Fire Effects Information System: Rhamnus cathartica, Minnesota Wildflowers differ)
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH · “Neutral to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “15–20 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
European Buckthorn
Conservation status
| West Virginia rank | SNA |
|---|---|
| Global rank | GNR |
| WV status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Sources
- West Virginia DNR invasive plant list
- USDA PLANTS
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025)
- NatureServe Explorer
- West Virginia occurrence source
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications