Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Frangula purshiana
Introductory
SPECIES: Frangula purshiana
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Habeck, R. J. 1992. Frangula purshiana. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/shrub/frapur/all.html [].
Updates: On 11 July 2014, the common and scientific names of this species were changed
from: Rhamnus purshiana, casara
to: Frangula purshiana, Casara buckthorn
The Natural Resources Conservation Service [28] citation was also added.
ABBREVIATION :
FRAPUR
SYNONYMS :
Rhamnus purshiana DC. [12]
SCS PLANT CODE :
FRPU7
COMMON NAMES :
Cascara buckthorn
bearberry
cascara
cascara sagrada
chittam bark
coffee-tree
TAXONOMY :
The scientific name of Casara buckthorn Frangula purshiana (DC.) A. Gray. Recognized
subspecies are [28]:
Frangula purshiana (DC.) A. Gray subsp. annonifolia (Greene) Sawyer & S.W. Edwards, Cascara annona-leaved buckthorn
Frangula purshiana (DC.) A. Gray subsp. purshiana, Casara buckthorn
Frangula purshiana (DC.) A. Gray subsp. ultramafica Sawyer & S.W. Edwards, Cascara serpentine buckthorn
LIFE FORM :
Tree, Shrub
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Frangula purshiana
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Casara buckthorn generally occurs from British Columbia down through northern
California. It is mostly distributed west of the Cascades but can also
be found east to northern Idaho and northwestern Montana [1,12].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES20 Douglas-fir
FRES21 Ponderosa pine
FRES23 Fir - spruce
FRES24 Hemlock - Sitka spruce
FRES25 Larch
FRES27 Redwood
FRES28 Western hardwoods
FRES34 Chaparral - mountain shrub
STATES :
CA ID MT OR WA
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
1 Northern Pacific Border
2 Cascade Mountains
4 Sierra Mountains
5 Columbia Plateau
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K001 Spruce - cedar - hemlock forest
K002 Cedar - hemlock - Douglas-fir forest
K003 Silver fir - Douglas-fir forest
K005 Mixed conifer forest
K010 Ponderosa shrub forest
K011 Western ponderosa forest
K012 Douglas-fir forest
K029 California mixed evergreen forest
SAF COVER TYPES :
205 Mountain hemlock
206 Engelmann spruce - subalpine fir
210 Interior Douglas-fir
211 White fir
212 Western larch
221 Red alder
224 Western hemlock
225 Western hemlock - Sitka spruce
226 Coastal true fir - hemlock
227 Western redcedar - western hemlock
228 Western hemlock
229 Pacific Douglas-fir
230 Douglas-fir - western hemlock
233 Oregon white oak
234 Douglas-fir - tanoak - Pacific madrone
237 Interior ponderosa pine
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Casara buckthorn is predominately a shrub component on forested sites in the
Pacific Northwest. No information was found listing Casara buckthorn as an
understory dominant or site indicator. Casara buckthorn was listed, however, as
a member of a prairie community occupying a floodplain in the Willamette
Valley, Oregon. It was also listed as a representative species in a vine
maple (Acer circinatum) plant association on a lava flow near Santiam Pass,
Oregon [9]. In southern Oregon, Casara buckthorn was found as a component in many
plant associations in the white fir (Abies concolor), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga
menziesii), and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) series [2].
Plant associations (pas) in southern Oregon where Casara buckthorn is listed as a
component are as follows [2]:
Constancy Min. Max.
(pas) (%) % cover % cover Range Mean SD
--------------------------------------------------------------------
W. Hemlock Series 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 1.2 0.4
TSHE/GASH/LIBO 5.0 --- --- --- 1.0 0
TSHE/PSME/GASH 8.0 --- --- --- 1.0 0
TSHE/GASH-CHUM 25.0 --- --- --- 1.5 0.7
TSHE/ACCI/RUNI 11.0 --- --- --- 1.0 0
White Fir Series 2.0 1.0 8.0 7.0 2.8 3.5
ABCO/ACGL/BENE 10.0 --- --- --- 1.0 0
ABCO/COCOC-AMAL 16.0 --- --- --- 8.0 0
ABCO-CADE3/BENE 4.0 --- --- --- 1.0 0
ABCO-PSME/BEPI 3.0 --- --- --- 1.0 0
Douglas-fir Series 3.0 3.0 3.0 0 3.0 0
PSME/RHDI/CYGR 33.0 --- --- --- 3.0 0
Scientific names for species used above are as follows:
ABCO Abies concolor
ACCI Acer circinatum
ACGL Acer glabrum
AMAL Amelanchier alnifolia
BENE Berberis nervosa
BEPI Berberis piperiana
CADE3 Calocedrus decurrens
CHUM Chimaphila umbellata
COROC Corylus cornuta californica
CYGR Cynoglossum grande
GASH Gaultheria shallon
LIBO Linnaea borealis
PSME Pseudotsuga menziesii
RHDI Rhus diversiloba
RUNI Rubus nivalis
TSHE Tsuga heterophylla
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Frangula purshiana
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Casara buckthorn is a wide-spread but not abundant shrub found primarily in
forested mountains [27]. It has been listed as a browse species for
mule deer in Oregon [7,29] and for elk in northern Idaho [26]. Casara buckthorn
was found to be a winter browse species for mule deer in northwestern
Oregon. Sixty-eight percent of available Casara buckthorn shrubs were browsed
during the winter. In summer, however, Casara buckthorn was less desirable; only
27 percent of available Casara buckthorn shrubs were browsed [6]. Other mammals
that browse Casara buckthorn include the Olympic black bear, Oregon gray fox,
raccoon, and ring-tailed cat [1,29]. Casara buckthorn drupes are eaten by five
species of birds including the Oregon ruffed grouse and band-tailed
pigeon. Casara buckthorn is of no value as forage for livestock [30]. How the
purgative characteristics of Casara buckthorn bark and drupes affect wildlife are
not known [29].
PALATABILITY :
Although utilized by wildlife, Casara buckthorn is not very palatable. Casara buckthorn
is browsed very lightly by sheep and to some extent by mule deer, but
for all practical purposes its forage value is negligible [27].
Palatability of Casara buckthorn leaves to elk on the Selway Game Preserve, Idaho
was poor [30].
The relish and degree of use shown by wildlife species for Casara buckthorn in
British Columbia are as follows [4]:
Specie Palatability
----------------- ------------
bighorn sheep poor
elk fair
moose poor
mule deer poor
white-tailed deer poor
caribou poor
coast deer good
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
The nutritive value of Casara buckthorn is poorly understood. Casara buckthorn was found
to be nitrogen-rich in one southern British Columbia study [14].
COVER VALUE :
Casara buckthorn often forms brushy stands capable of providing abundant thermal
and hiding cover [2]. The shrubby form may prove a more valuable cover
species than the treelike northern form [29].
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
NO-ENTRY
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
The greatest known value of Casara buckthorn is its purgative properties. In a
single year, five million pounds of dried Casara buckthorn bark from the Pacific
Northwest was processed by pharmaceutical companies in the manufacture
of laxatives [1,23].
The Kootenai and Flathead tribes of western Montana used Casara buckthorn as a
laxative, consuming it in the form of a tea brewed from the bark. These
Indians believed that it would be a purgative when the bark was stripped
downward. If stripped upward, the drug would act as an emetic. Casara buckthorn
bark contains anthraquinare derivatives, tannin, resins, starch,
glucose, and other compounds [11]. When the bark is chewed, it tastes
extremely bitter, and may temporarily numb the taste buds [1].
The flesh of some animals which have consumed the drupes is said to
retain some of the purgative properties. The juice pressed from the
berries is used to prepare a 'syrup of Casara buckthorn'. The bark and dried
berries have been used as a source of yellow- and saffron-colored dyes.
The berry juice. when combined with alum, produces a green dye once used
by artists [21].
Apparently, if Casara buckthorn is handled for a long time, the laxative
effects can even be transferred through the skin [1]. For maximum
effectiveness, bark collection is recommended from mid-April to the end
of August, and bark should be stored as long as possible before being
used [11].
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Disease: Casara buckthorn has been found to be susceptible to laboratory
exposures of crown rusts [29].
Herbicides: Garlon 4 and Tordon 101 applied during early foliar
development top-killed 95 percent of Casara buckthorn 3 years after treatment
[19].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Frangula purshiana
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Casara buckthorn is a deciduous, erect, tall shrub or small tree. It can attain
a height up to 33 feet (10 m) at maturity, but becomes smaller in size
and bushier along its southern distribution [29]. West of the Cascades,
it develops a single trunk 8 to 12 inches (20-30 cm) thick, 20 to 35
feet (6-10.7 m) tall. It has greenish-yellow flower petals
approximately 0.12 to 0.16 inch (3-4 mm) long [23]. Casara buckthorn has a
purplish-black drupe about 0.3 inch (7.5 mm) in diameter, containing
several seeds [5,20]. Casara buckthorn is very tolerant of shade [1]. The
leaves are oblong, 3 to 5 inches (7.5-12.5 cm) long, and have 10 to 12
pairs of prominent parallel veins arising directly opposite each other
on the midrib. The leaf buds have no scales [12,27].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Phanerophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Casara buckthorn usually reproduces by seed. It can also spread by layering and
can sometimes be propagated by cuttings. Casara buckthorn will coppice after
being stripped of bark and cut down [11,29].
Seeds: Casara buckthorn generally produces 20 pounds (18 kg) of seeds per 100
pounds (90 kg) of fruit. Cleaned seeds range from 5,000 to 19,000 seeds
per pound (4,500-17,100 kg), with an average of 12,300. Recommended
sowing depth is 1 inch, with seedbed shading [13]. Birds are the
predominant distributors of Casara buckthorn seeds [1].
Morphological characteristics of Casara buckthorn fruit from Rainbow Creek
Research Natural Area, southeast Washington are as follows [24]:
Mean
------
Fruit Diameter (mm) 11.60
Fruit Mass (mg) 796.80
Pulp Dry Mass (mg) 126.10
Number of Seeds per Fruit 3.00
Fresh Seed Mass per Fruit (mg) 165.20
Fresh Pulp Mass (mg) 3.80
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Casara buckthorn generally grows on lower mountain slopes [1]. It may also
inhabit moist canyons on the east slope of the Cascades. In Oregon,
Casara buckthorn is generally a moist-site indicator [2]. It is commonly found
with red alder (Alnus rubra) on moist bottomlands but is rarely abundant
[1].
Site characteristics from southern Oregon Cascade Mountain Province
where Casara buckthorn is found as a forest nominal component are as follows [2]:
Range of Means
--------------
Elevation (ft): 2,447 - 4,232
Slope (%): 13.0 - 53.0
Soil Depth (in): 34.6 - 46.7
Rooting Depth (in): 39.3 - 50.0
Mean Annual Temp. (F): 43.9 - 48.8
Max. Month Temp. (F): 77.5 - 84.7
Mean Annual ppt (in): 36.7 - 67.5
Dry Season ppt (in): 6.0 - 8.8
Litter (%): 70.7 - 98.7
Moss (%): 2.3 - 45.2
Bareground (%): 0.2 - 4.0
Gravel (%): 0.3 - 3.8
Rock (%): 0.4 - 6.1
Bedrock (%): 0.0 - 3.8
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Casara buckthorn has not been cited as a dominant species in any forest habitat
type described for the Pacific Northwest. Being shade tolerant, it is
often found in the understory of second-growth forests [1]. Therefore,
its primary role seems to be that of a long-lived invader species.
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Major phenological activities of Casara buckthorn in northern Idaho are as
follows [22]:
Bud Leafing Stem Fruit Leaf Color Leaf
Year Swell Out Growth Blooming Growth Change Fall
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1971 NA-4/27 5/4-5/19 5/11-7/21 5/26-6/9 6/18-NA 9/30 NA
1972 4/19/5/6 5/6-6/2 5/19-7/12 5/22-6/13 6/20-NA 10/9 NA
1973 NA-4/23 5/2-6/4 5/2-7/4 5/28-6/12 6/19-NA 10/2 NA
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Frangula purshiana
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Casara buckthorn sprouts from the root crown following low-intensity fires
[11,29].
FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
survivor species; on-site surviving root crown or caudex
secondary colonizer; off-site seed carried to site after year 2
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Frangula purshiana
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Casara buckthorn is usually top-killed by fire [29].
Preburn and postburn measurements of Casara buckthorn in central Idaho were as
follows [17]:
Avg. Live Avg. Live Avg. Crown Avg. Dead No. Avg. Sprout
Crown Diameter Crown Height Below 7ft. Crown Basal Height
(ft) (ft) (%) (%) Sprouts (ft)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Preburn 4.0 8.0 95.0 95.0 1.0 1.5
Postburn 3.0 4.5 100.0 100.0 18.0 3.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Preburn measurements were taken in March, 1965. Postburn measurements
were taken in August, 1965.
2. Postburn measurements were taken on the part of the plant which
existed before treatment.
3. All Casara buckthorn's aboveground parts were completely killed by the fire.
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Change in Casara buckthorn measurements after prescribed burns in northern Idaho
were as follows [16]:
1965 1970 1975 1966 1971 1976
-------------------------------------------
Avg. Preburn
Crown Height (cm): 244 --- --- --- --- ---
Avg. Preburn
Crown Diameters (cm): 91 --- --- --- --- ---
Avg. No. Basal
Sprouts per
Plant: 18 12 7 --- --- ---
Avg. Sprout
Height (cm): 91 76 76 --- --- ---
Max. Crown Height
2 Years After Burn (cm): --- --- --- 183 137 122
Max. Crown Diameter
2 Years After Burn (cm): --- --- --- 137 107 107
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Fire intervals on southern Oregon sites where Casara buckthorn occurs range from
30 to 60 years, to longer intervals of 100 to 320 years. These
understories are generally free from heavy fuels, giving rise to
low-intensity fires. In some plant associations that include Casara buckthorn,
however, high-intensity, stand-replacing fires occur approximately every
60 to 150 years [2].
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Frangula purshiana
REFERENCES :
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reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
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[434]
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FEIS Home Page
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/shrub/frapur/all.html
