Alder buckthorn

About

Alder buckthorn is a shrub or small tree, usually 2–4 m tall, without thorns. The branches are brittle, with dark bark sprinkled with whitish transverse lenticels; if you scrape off the top layer, yellow is visible underneath. The leaves are entire, oval, shiny, with seven to nine pairs of equal lateral veins.

Alder buckthorn blooms for a long time, from May to July, with small greenish-white flowers in the leaf axils. Because of this, the fruits ripen at different times, and by the end of summer, green, red, and black drupes the size of peas hang on one branch. This feature makes the shrub easiest to identify.

In the Carpathians, alder buckthorn grows in moist deciduous and mixed forests, alder groves, on forest edges, riverbanks, and around swamps — from the foothills to the middle mountain belt.

The fruits of alder buckthorn are poisonous: even a few berries can cause vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Children are most often poisoned, attracted by the shiny black 'berries.' The fresh bark is also poisonous. As a medicinal raw material, it is used only after prolonged aging, so it should not be harvested or consumed independently.

The leaves of alder buckthorn are eaten by the caterpillars of the yellow butterfly, which is one of the first seen in spring. The fruits are eaten by thrushes and other birds without harm to themselves, and they disperse the seeds.

Where in the Carpathians

Teal — the species' natural range within its elevation belt; orange — where naturalists recorded it (GBIF, CC0/CC BY).

Range: Caudullo, Welk & San-Miguel-Ayanz 2017, CC BY 4.0; elevation belt and the countries where it is known — our model (AWS Terrain Tiles)

Countries

Ukraine · Slovakia · Czechia · Poland · Romania · Hungary · Austria

Mountain ranges

nearly all Carpathian ranges, within its elevation belt

Altitude belts

Foothills (below 600 m) · Beech forests (600–1200 m)

When to see it

From naturalists’ observations in the Carpathians (iNaturalist, research grade): the darker the cell, the more often the species is seen that month.

Safety

The fruits and fresh bark are poisonous: they cause vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Do not allow children to taste the black 'berries' from the shrubs. In case of suspected poisoning, call 103 (or 112).

Look-alikes — how to tell them apart

In folk tradition

Aged bark is a medicinal raw material. Fresh bark and fruits are poisonous.

Protection and rules

Not included in the Red Book of Ukraine.

FAQ