Glossy Buckthorn

According to Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Glossy buckthorn is a woody shrub or small tree that can reach 20 feet tall. The cut stem are yellow sapwood and pink to orange heartwood. It has gray-brown bark and lightly-colored. Leaves are one to three inches long, shiny dark green, oval-shaped and wavy. Its green flowers are five-petaled and flower from May to June. The purple-black fruits ripen from July to September.

Hand-pulling is effective for small populations and the entire plant must be removed, according to Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Selective herbicide application is the most effective control method if applied to foliage during the growing season, cut stems or the bark of the lower portions of the stems/trunks.

Glossy buckthorn forms dense thickets and overcrowds and prevents other plants from getting sunlight according to Ohio Department of Natural Resources.