So is it really buckthorn and, if not, what?

[shedder]

I have heard for years about the evils of Frangula alnus.

" when Frangula alnus invades and grows in these locations, its dense canopy prevents light from reaching the ground and therefore prevents other seedlings from growing.[16] It tends to grow more densely and with larger individuals in lower topographical areas with moist, fertile soils, and is very problematic for land managers."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frangula_alnus
One guy in NY said it overran his land and he wished he had got ahead of it when he moved in.

I heard it was in the village but I didn't think I would have to worry about it. Then I saw the yard was full of it. Right now, the birds are dropping those purple droppings on cars and pavement I had seen for years without knowing what it was.

Then I thought I didn't to worry about it on the woodlot 20 miles north where I have many oaks and chestnuts planted. You can see one in the pix.

I had hoped it was Alternate-leaved Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) but 3 experts tell me it is Frangula. That means there must be a source near by and birds are spreading it. I have not seen it anywhere else but it has to be there. The only hope now is control and that means spraying. Eventually, it will still win.

So is it really buckthorn and if not what?
Thoughts ? Recommendations?

 

[Chainsaw]

Your pictures show a different leaf than the so-called Common Buckthorn that we have on this property. Note I only picked leaves from five different trees. All had a main stem from the bottom of the leaf up the middle with three to four veins off of it on each side while your pics appear to be showing seven to eight veins on each side. Other characteristics besides the leaves that we see here are it is the last plant to loose it's glossy green foliage each winter, it usually has sprouts around the trunk that are seldom browsed and the deer start eating the black berries noticeably around Dec 01 to Dec 10.

I don't know what it is, just it is not identical the buckthorn trees here that I looked at today.

Recommendation if you find it to be a variety of Buckthorn, Kill them all but first seek out the ones that have berries and be careful not to create open spaces in the woods; They do grow quickly in open ground left unchecked.

 

[shedder]

Your pictures show a different leaf than the so-called Common Buckthorn that we have on this property. Note I only picked leaves from five different trees. All had a main stem from the bottom of the leaf up the middle with three to four veins off of it on each side while your pics appear to be showing seven to eight veins on each side. Other characteristics besides the leaves that we see here are it is the last plant to loose it's glossy green foliage each winter, it usually has sprouts around the trunk that are seldom browsed and the deer start eating the black berries noticeably around Dec 01 to Dec 10.

I don't know what it is, just it is not identical the buckthorn trees here that I looked at today.

Recommendation if it is Buckthorn, Kill them all but first seek out the ones that have berries and be careful not to create open spaces in the woods; They do grow quickly in open ground left unchecked.

Thx.
Good news if it is not buckthorn. A 4th person disputed it was BT, too, elsewhere. Fingers crossed. Loads of open spaces around me, unfortunately.

 

[shedder]

.[/QUOTE]

A 4th person disputed it was BT, too, elsewhere.

The 4th person didn't know what Frangula alnus, Glossy buckthorn, looked like only common buckthorn. So back to being bummed out.

https://www.invasive.org/browse/subthumb.cfm?sub=5649

The leaves here match.

 

[Chainsaw]

You are right;it looks like a perfect match. I have in the past during fall and hunting season carried flagging tape with me and flagged individual fruit bearing buckthorn trees growing in concentrations near apple trees. Then when winter came and apple tree releasing resumed I would cut and spray the buckthorn that had been flagged; the buckthorn here appear to be either males or females. I didn't read enough about yours to see if that applies or not. Best of luck to you in getting head of it. It was just too far ahead of us here to control it except in small areas around some of our apple trees and of course in our fallow fields where we just "bulldozed" them out of the ground with the tractor bucket.

The good side, yes even invasives are not bad in every aspect; they do create late season cover and the deer here set up many of their travel lanes in it and it is also often used for bedding when it matures and canopies.

 

[shedder]

I pulled it out Tuesday without thinking. I had roundup and should have sprayed the stump. I sprayed the root hole as a backup then thought later that may kill the oak. Dumb moves.

 

[1yellowdog]

I pulled it out Tuesday without thinking. I had roundup and should have sprayed the stump. I sprayed the root hole as a backup then thought later that may kill the oak. Dumb moves.

I have pulled and cut my share of buckthorn with surrounding oaks, and it does not seem to bother the oaks seedlings. Oaks have a deeper root system than buckthorn. I am headed up to my place tomorrow to attempt using a brush pile fire in a clump of buckthorn. Hoping fire with kill off the root system next spring. It's a never ending battle when the neighbors don't attempt to tame the spread. I have been cutting their female trees and spraying the stumps to slow the spread on my property.