Buckthorn: modest flowers

The buckthorn is mostly known in northern Estonia and Läänemaa, where it grows on dry alvars; we see it less frequently in southern or south-eastern Estonia.

 

The flowers are modest and one has to search for them. Leaves are oblong, with a slightly serrated margin, a little curved with a pointed tip and, looking at the underside, the side veins show, curving typically towards the leaf tip. Buckthorns grow as dense bushes, with spines sticking out at the tips of the branches.