RHAMNUS LYCIOIDES subsp. OLEOIDES

Including:- Subsp. graeca

Homotypic Synonyms:- RHAMNACEAE/Sect. RHAMNUS

Common Names:- Small buckthorn

Homotypic Synonyms:- Rhamnus lycioides, Rhamnus oleoides. Rhamnus

oleoides ssp. microphylla.

Meaning:- Rhamnus (Gr) Ancient name for various prickly shrubs.

Lycioides (L) Like the Box-thorn.

Oleoides (Gr) Olive or oil-like.

General description:- Spiny evergreen or deciduous shrub up to 1 m., much

branched, young shoots with very short hairs.

Leaves:-

1) 10-40 x 3-10 mm, simple, alternate or grouped. coriaceous, obovate to linear.

apex obtuse or emarginate, or sometimes mucronate, margins entire, rarely

crenulate. lateral veins distinctly visible on the upper surface.

2) Petiole, 2-3 mm.

3) Stipules, caducous

Flowers:-

1) 3 mm diam. long pedicellate, united n clusters at the axil of the leaves. greenish.

yellow.

2) Calyx;

a) lobes, lanceolate, acute, yellowish.

b) teeth, triangular-lanceolate, acute.

3) Petals, absent or very small.

4) Perianth, with 4 partly fused tepals.

5) Stamens 4.

Fruit:-

1) Drupe, 4-6 mm, obovoid, compressed laterally, yellowish or black when ripe.

4) Pyrenes, 2.

Key features:-

1) Leaves, evergreen, obovate, margins entire.

2) Spines, present.

3) Flowers, usually 4-merous, in cymose fascicles or rarely solitary.

Click here for a glossary of terms used

Habitat:- Constituent of evergreen and mixed scrub on rocky limestone slopes. 0-

600 (-1700) m.

Distribution:- Mediterranean region. Fairly widespread and common on Crete.

Flowering time:- Late Mar to mid-May.

Photos by:- Fotis Samaritakis and Zacharias Angourakis

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RHAMNUS LYCIOIDES subsp. GRAECA Back to Top

Homotypic Synonyms:- None

Meaning:- Graeca (Gr) Greek, from Greece.

Resembling subsp. oleoides, but differering in the following characters.

1) Deciduous.

2) Leaves. 6-18 mm, rather thin, with inconspicuous veins.

Habitat, Flowering time:- As for subsp. oleoides,

Distribution:- On Crete, sparcely scattered around a few coastal areas

It seems doubtful whether subsp. graeca and subsp. oleoides can be retained as

separate taxa. Their distributions overlap completely in the Aegean area and the

morphological differences are vague. ¹⁾

1) Arne Strid "Atlas of the Aegean Flora". Book 1 2016