Cascara Buckthorn

Description

Frangula purshiana is a plant in the Trollhegg family , also known as Rhamnus purshiana . It is a deciduous shrub or little tree with a height of up to ten meters. The leaves are scattered and egg-shaped with clear nerves. The flowers are greenish and are in tassels of 8-25. The berries are black when they are mature. The species is widespread in western North America from Northern California to British Columbia in the north and Montana to the east. The bark is called sagradabark and is used as a laxative .