Cascara Sagrada, Frangula purshiana

About Cascara Sagrada (Frangula purshiana) 8 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Rhamnus purshiana (Cascara Buckthorn, Cascara, Bearberry, and in the Chinook Jargon, Chittam or Chitticum; syn. Frangula purshiana, Rhamnus purshianus) is a species of buckthorn native to western North America from southern British Columbia south to central California, and inland to western Montana. It is the largest species of buckthorn, occasionally growing up to 15 meter tall, though more commonly a large shrub or small tree 5-10 meter tall, with a trunk 20-50 centimeter in diameter. The bark is brownish to silver-grey with light splotching. The leaves are deciduous, alternate, clustered near the ends of twigs; they are oval, 5-15 centimeter long and 2-5 centimeter broad with a 0.6-2 centimeter petiole, dark shiny green on top, fuzzy and paler green below. The flowers are tiny, 4-5 millimeter diameter, with five greenish yellow petals; the flowering season is brief, disappearing by early summer. The fruit is a berry 6-10 millimeter diameter, bright red at first, quickly maturing deep purple or black, and containing three seeds.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

20 - 49.2 ft tall
12 ft wide

Form

Upright

Growth Rate

Slow

Dormancy

Winter Deciduous

Flower Color

White, Green, Yellow

Flowering Season

Spring

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies (including the Pale Swallowtail), many other beneficial insects and birds.
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 8 confirmed

, 28 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Silver-spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa argentataLophocampa argentata

Virginian Tiger Moth Spilosoma virginicaSpilosoma virginica

Western Carpet Melanolophia imitataMelanolophia imitata

Tissue Moth Triphosa haesitataTriphosa haesitata

Hesperumia latipennisHesperumia latipennis

Tamarack Looper Eupithecia misturataEupithecia misturata

Eupithecia columbiataEupithecia columbiata

Landscaping Information

Sun

Part Shade, Full Sun

Moisture

Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 3x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 8

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 0° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow, Standing

Soil Description

Quite adaptable to a wide variety of soil types. Soil PH: 4 - 7

Common uses

Bank Stabilization, Bird Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants

Other plants of western coniferous forest understories such as Red Alder (Alus Rubra), Vine Maple (Acer circinatum), Redosier Dogwood (Cornus sericea), and Orange Honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliosa).

Maintenance

Non-specific host to the fungus Phytophthora ramorum (which causes sudden oak death).

Propagation?

Propagate from seeds (3 month stratification) or by cuttings taken from half-ripe to mature wood in late summer or fall.

Sunset Zones?

1, 2, 3, 4*, 5*, 6*, 7, 14, 15*, 16*, 17*

Natural Setting

Site Type

Varied, but generally in low-montana forested areas in moist canyons, swamps, and bottomlands.

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 15.3" - 151.6", Summer Precipitation: 0.22" - 5.78", Coldest Month: 30.6" - 51.8", Hottest Month: 51.9" - 73.5", Humidity: 0.01" - 23.82", Elevation: 3" - 7349"

Alternative Names

Botanical Names: Rhamnus purshiana
Common Names: Cascara Annona-leaved Buckthorn, Cascara Buckthorn, Pursh's Buckthorn

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Cascara Sagrada

Frangula purshiana

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Cascara SagradaFrangula purshiana

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Cascara Sagrada

Frangula purshiana