Photograph from Lewis and Clark Herbarium/Academy of Natural Sciences
False Buckthorn (Cascara)
Frangula purshiana
May 29, 1806, at Camp Chopunnish, Idaho.
Large shrub or small tree with short trunk and crown of many stout, upright branches. Height: 30 ft (9 m). Diameter: 6-12 in (15-30 cm).
Moist soils in open areas, along roadsides, and in understory of coniferous and mixed evergreen forests.
Southern British Columbia south to northern California; also Rocky Mountain region south to northern Idaho and western Montana; to 5,000 ft (1,524 m).
The berries are poisonous to humans if eaten, but are consumed by songbirds and bears, raccoons, and other mammals; hence this species is sometimes called "bearberry."
