Flora of Israel: Italian Buckthorn

Rhamnus alaternus, Italian Buckthorn,
Hebrew: אשחר רחב-עלים, Arabic: نبق متبادل الأوراق


Scientific name:		Rhamnus alaternus L.
Common name:		Italian Buckthorn
Hebrew name:		אשחר רחב-עלים
Arabic name:		نبق متبادل الأوراق
Family:		Rhamnaceae, אשחריים

_{Location: Hula Nature Reserve}


Life form:		Tree
Leaves:		Alternate, entire, smooth
Flowers:		Green
Flowering Period:		February, March, April
Habitat:		Mediterranean maquis and forest
Distribution:		Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands
Chorotype:		Mediterranean
Summer shedding:		Perennating

_{Location: Hula Nature Reserve}
Derivation of the botanical name:

Rhamnus, Greek name for the buckthorn.

alaternus, Latin ala, wing; terni, three each; an ornamental evergreen shrub belonging to the buckthorns.
The Hebrew name: אשחר, ashchar maybe because his black ( = shachor) berries.

The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.

See the list of Medicinal herbs in Israel, the parts used and their medical uses to treat various diseases.