buckthorn family

American  

noun

1. the plant family Rhamnaceae, characterized by shrubs and trees having alternate, simple leaves, clusters of small flowers, and fruit in the form of a drupe or capsule, and including the buckthorn, cascara, and New Jersey tea.

---

Example Sentences

Gouania domingensis.—A plant of the buckthorn family, known in Jamaica as Chaw-Stick, on account of its thin branches being chewed as an agreeable stomachic.

From Catalogue of Economic Plants in the Collection of the U. S. Department of Agriculture by Saunders, William