Frangula (Rhamnus) purshiana
Pursh's Buckthorn (Cascara)

Family: Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn family)

Photo taken at Leavenworth Fish Hatchery, partially shaded in sandy soil near river (2 to 10 meters away)

photo of Frangula purshiana

Flowers:

8 to 40 flowers in pedunculate umbels; petals present; hypanthium cup shaped; calyx 4 to 5 lobed, campanulate, and gland-lined at base


Leaves:

alternate; deciduous; prominently veined, main lateral veins of leaves generally greater than 8 per side


Plant:

shrub or small tree, less than 12 meters tall. Traditionally an infusion of bark was used as a laxative by the Okanagan-Coville, Shuswap, and Thompson.

Habitat:

Distribution of species:

British Columbia to California, mostly in the west Cascades, and east into Idaho and western Montana


Distribution of genus:

125 species: mostly in temperate areas and a few tropical