Ruscus aculeatus

Butcher's-broom
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Nolinoideae
Genus: Ruscus
Species: R. aculeatus
Binomial name
Ruscus aculeatus
L.

Ruscus aculeatus, known as butcher's-broom,[1] is a low evergreen Eurasian shrub, with flat shoots known as cladodes that give the appearance of stiff, spine-tipped leaves. Small greenish flowers appear in spring, and are borne singly in the centre of the cladodes. The female flowers are followed by a red berry, and the seeds are bird-distributed, but the plant also spreads vegetatively by means of rhizomes. Ruscus aculeatus occurs in woodlands and hedgerows, where it is tolerant of deep shade, and also on coastal cliffs. It is also widely planted in gardens, and has spread as a garden escapee in many areas outside its native range.

Ruscus aculeatus with fruit
Botanical illustration

Common names

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ruscus aculeatus.
Wikispecies has information related to: Ruscus aculeatus
  1. "BSBI List 2007" (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Retrieved 2014-10-17.

External links


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, August 13, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.