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Buckthorn: Rhamnaceae Rhamnus spp. |
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Buckthorn: Rhamnaceae Rhamnus spp. |
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The genus Rhamnus contains more than 100 species native to North America [5]; species are also located in the north temperate regions, South America, and South Africa. Many nonnative species have been naturalized in the United States. The name rhamnus is an ancient Greek name.
Rhamnus betulifolia birchleaf buckthorn
Rhamnus californica California buckthorn, California coffeeberry, coast coffeeberry,
coffeeberry, pigeonberry, Sierra coffeeberry
Rhamnus caroliniana alder buckthorn, birch bog, brittlewood, buckthorn-tree, Carolina
buckthorn, elbow-brush, Indian cherry, pale-cat-wood, polecat- tree, polecatwood, stinkberry, stink cherry, stinkwood, tree buckthorn, yellow buckthorn, yellowwood
Rhamnus crocea California redberry, coffeeberry, evergreen buckthorn, great redberry
buckthorn, hollyleaf buckthorn, island buckthorn, island red- berry buckthorn, redberry, redberry buckthorn
Rhamnus purshiana* bayberry, bearberry, bearwood, bitterbark, bitterboom, bittertrad,
buckthorn cascara, California coffee, cascara, cascara buckthorn, cascara sagrada, chitam, chittam, chittern, chittim, coffeeberry, coffeebush, coffeetree, Oregon bearwood, pigeonberry, shittimwood, wahoo, western coffee, wild cherry, wild coffee, wild coffeebush, yellow-wood
*Commercial American species
The following description is for cascara buckthorn.
Distribution: The Pacific Coast region from British Columbia (including Vancouver Island), south to Washington, Oregon and northern California in coastal ranges, and Sierra Nevada. Also in the Rocky Mountain region of British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, and Montana.
The Tree: Cascara buckthorn grows in bottom lands, but it can be found along fence rows and roadsides. The tree grows scattered among Douglas-fir, maples, western redcedar and hemlock. The tree grows to a height of 40 ft (12 m), with a diameter of 1.5 ft (0.5 m). The bark is thin and smooth, developing brown to gray scales.
General Wood Characteristics: The sapwood of cascara buckthorn is yellowish white, while the heartwood is similar but with a red tinge. The wood is without characteristic odor or taste; it is hard and heavy.
Weighta |
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Moisture content |
Specific gravity |
Weight |
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lb/ft3 |
kg/m3 |
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Green 12% Ovendry |
0.50 |
50 |
801 577 NA |
aReference (59). |
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Mechanical propertiesa
Property |
Green |
Dry |
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MOE |
0.63 x 106 lbf/in2 |
4.344 GPa |
0.96 x 106 lbf/in2 |
6.619 GPa |
MOR |
6.30 x 103 lbf/in2 |
43.439 MPa |
8.70 x 103 lbf/in2 |
59.987 MPa |
C| | |
3.27 x 103 lbf/in2 |
22.547 MPa |
6.08 x 103 lbf/in2 |
41 .922 MPa |
C ⊥ |
0.67 x 103 lbf/in2 |
4.620 MPa |
1.31 x 103 lbf/in2 |
9.032 MPa |
WML |
13.4 in-lbf/in3 |
92.393 kJ/m3 |
7.8 in-lbf/in3 |
53.781 kJ/m3 |
Hardness |
730 lbf |
3,247.04 N |
1,040 lbf |
4,625.92 N |
Shear| | |
1.15 x 103 lbf/in2 |
7.929 MPa |
1.61 x 103 lbf/in2 |
11.101 MPa |
aReference (59).
Drying and shrinkagea
Percentage of shrinkage (green to final moisture content)
Type of shrinkage 0% MC 6% MC 20% MC
Tangential 4.6 NA NA
Radial 3.2 NA NA
Volumetric 7.6 NA NA
aReference (59.
Working Properties: Not available at this time.
Durability: Not available at this time.
Preservation: Not available at this time.
Uses: Posts, turnery, furniture parts, novelties. Bark and wood extract used for laxative. Toxicity: Bark and fruits are poisonous; sap causes dermatitis (54, 64).
Additional Reading: 29, 55, 68, 74.
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