[buhk-thawrn] 
| 1. | any of several, sometimes thorny trees or shrubs belonging to the genus Rhamnus, esp. R. frangula, the bark of which is used in medicine. Compare buckthorn family. |
| 2. | a tree or shrub belonging to the genus Bumelia, of the sapodilla family, esp. B. lycioides, a thorny tree having elliptic leaves and large clusters of white flowers, common in the southern and part of the central U.S. |
| buck·thorn (bŭk'thôrn') n.
[Translation of New Latin cervī spīna : cervī, genitive of cervus, deer, buck + spīna, thorn.] |
| bu·mel·ia (byōō-mē'lē-ə) n. Any of various often thorny North American trees or shrubs of the genus Bumelia, especially B. lanuginosa or B. lycioides of the southern United States, having very hard wood and black fleshy fruit. Also called buckthorn, shittimwood. [New Latin Būmelia, genus name, from Latin būmelia, ash tree, from Greek boumeliā : bous, cow; see gwou- in Indo-European roots + meliā, ash.] |
buckthorn
any of about 100 species of shrubs or trees belonging to the genus Rhamnus, family Rhamnaceae, native to temperate areas in the Northern Hemisphere. The cascara buckthorn (R. purshiana) is the source of cascara sagrada, a cathartic drug.
Learn more about buckthorn with a free trial on Britannica.com.
