Cascara is a tree of 20 to 30 foot along with thin serrated leaves and brown to silver grey bark. The bark is used in medicine and was used for long times in by the Western people as cathartic. Young bark has numerous, broad and pale warts and the inner surface is yellowish to light brownish which becomes dark brown when matured. The small flowers are greenish to yellow which grows in leaf axils in form of loose clusters. The fruit is bright red, small and becomes bluish to black when ripened. In fall, the leaves becomes from light orange to yellow.
| Name | Cascara |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Rhamnus purshiana |
| Native | Native to Western North America (Southern British Columbia, South to Central California and East to Northwestern Montana). |
| Common/English Name | Cascara buckthorn, Cascara Sagrada, Cascara, Bearberry, Sacred Bark, Persian bark, Purshiana bark, Chittum bark rhamnus purshiana, Chitticum, California buckthorn |
| Name in Other Languages | Dutch: Cascara; German: Amerikanisches Freuzdorn; Spanish: Cascara; Portuguese: Cascara; French: Cascara; Italian: Cascara sagrada |
| Plant Growth Habit | Large shrub, evergreen tree |
| Growing Climate | Warmer |
| Soil | Well-drained |
| Plant Size | Height: 4.5-10 m tall |
| Trunk | Diameter: 20-30 cm |
| Bark | Brown to silver grey, smooth, yellowish |
| Leaf | Simple, alternate, deciduous, oval; Length: 5-15 cm; Broad: 2-5 cm; shiny, green on top and paler green below |
| Flowering Season | Early to mid-spring |
| Flower | Tiny; Diameter: 4-5 mm, greenish yellow, cup shape; Length: 3-4 mm |
| Fruit shape & size | Drupe; Diameter: 6-10 mm; Across: 5-8 mm |
| Fruit color | Dark blue to purple |
| Flesh color | Yellow |
| Taste | Bitter |
| Seed | Two or three, hard, smooth, olive to green or black |
| Health Benefits |
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| Traditional uses |
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