alder buckthorn

Also known as Glossy Buckthorn, Breaking Buckthorn, Black Dogwood

Alder buckthorn thrives along damp woodland borders, fens, and riverbanks, easily recognized by its thornless stems and alternate, smooth-edged leaves. Unlike many woody shrubs, it produces flowers and ripening fruit simultaneously throughout the summer, displaying green, red, and deep purple-black berries on the same branch. In its native Eurasian territory, it serves as the crucial primary larval food plant for the brimstone butterfly, while naturalized stands in North America form dense understory thickets that shade out indigenous seedlings.