Frangula Species, Alder Buckthorn, Glossy Buckthorn, Tallhedge Buckthorn

This is an invasive shrub in America from Europe, west Asia and north Africa also. I finally saw the straight species along a chain link ...Read Morefence between the highway and a motel in Youngstown, Ohio in June 2015 as a weed shrub. I've seen the two cultivars of 'Columnaris' that is an upright columnar form and 'Asplenifolia' that has deeply dissected foliage in a few places. Not a lovely plant.

With shrub honeysuckles, glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus, Rhamnus frangula) often forms solid understories in natural forest areas of no...Read Morertheastern North America. Like the honeysuckles, it leafs out very early, shading out the native herbaceous layer.

This spiny invasive species is a listed noxious weed, invasive, or banned in five states. Birds eat the fruit and then distribute the seed far and wide through the landscape.

This species was used for hedging in the 19th century, but it went out of use as better hedging plants became available.

MN DNR has this plant listed as invasive. From their website....
"Regulations
European or common buckthorn and glossy or al...Read Moreder buckthorn are listed as restricted noxious weeds in Minnesota. It is illegal to import, sell, or transport buckthorn in Minnesota."

Upright and densely foliaged and doesn't need to be trimmed much. It can reach 15 ft high, though. Flowers are insignificant.