Taxonomy
Family: Rhamnaceae
Habitat
Swamps and fens.
Associates
Distribution
Newfoundland and Quebec west to British Columbia, south to VA, TN, OH, northern IN, IL, IA, and CA.
Morphology
Deciduous shrub to about 1 m; leaves alternate, lance-oblong to elliptic, obtuse to acuminate, crenate-serrate; flowers functionally unisexual, sessile, 1-3 per node, 5-merous; hypanthium saucer-shaped; sepals 1.5-2 mm; petals absent; styles ca. 1 mm, connate for a third of their length; fruit black, shiny, 6-8 mm, containing 3 stones; winter buds scaly.
Notes
Flowers late May
Wetland indicator: OBL
In central NY this species occurs primarily in medium to rich fens and swamps with groundwater influence.
References
Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.
The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY
Michael Hough © 2014 |