A small botanical note
May. 5th, 2012 19:59![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
torquillIt turns out that what I thought was a mahonia at Greg's place (I'm not too familiar with them, obviously) is actually Italian Buckthorn, Rhamnus alaternus. I saw a Coffeeberry in the nursery and it looked so similar to what I had ripped out next to the street sign that it got me thinking. A little hunting on the net turned up images that look exactly like the survivor in the back yard.
Not a bad plant, and I'll probably keep the one in back. It's something to keep in mind for an evergreen screening tree with small, glossy leaves -- it beats the pants off of privet, even if it does manage to sow a few volunteers from time to time.
A curious note: the reports on its berry color vary. Some say reddish, some say dark purple. The one Greg has is the dark type; I wonder whether it's a varietal thing.
Not a bad plant, and I'll probably keep the one in back. It's something to keep in mind for an evergreen screening tree with small, glossy leaves -- it beats the pants off of privet, even if it does manage to sow a few volunteers from time to time.
A curious note: the reports on its berry color vary. Some say reddish, some say dark purple. The one Greg has is the dark type; I wonder whether it's a varietal thing.