Rhamnus lycioides
Rhamnus lycioides
Rhamnus lycioides is a species of the genus buckthorn, their distribution extends over the Mediterranean.
Description
Rhamnus lycioides is a deciduous or evergreen, very form- rich, spine reinforced shrub that reaches a height of about 1 meter. Older branches are gray. The leaves are opposite, tufted on short shoots. The leaf blade is ganzrandige linear to obovate, glabrous, light green and is 0.5 to 3.5 inches long and 0.3 to 1 centimeter wide. The blade tip is blunt to mucronate. The yellowish flowers are inconspicuous, stand in groups and appear in the winter. The calyx shows four sharp corners. The fruits are ovoid, 4-6 mm in size, yellowish at the beginning and are to mature black.
Distribution and habitat requirements
The species occurs in the Mediterranean region, particularly in Spain and the Balearic Islands. However, it is missing in Corsica, on the Apennine Peninsula and in the region of former Yugoslavia. Rhamnus lycioides grows on rocky and poor soils.
System
The Rhamnus lycioides is assigned to the subgenus Eurhamnus in the genus buckthorn. In addition to the nominate subspecies Rhamnus lycioides subsp. oleoides distinguished. Carl Linnaeus described the taxon as a separate species Rhamnus oleoides yet, but it was in 1932 the Rhamnus attributed lycioides.