Alder Buckthorn (Frangula alnus)

Frangula alnus leaves and fruit. Swindon, 28 September 2019.

Alder Buckthorn (Frangula alnus, formerly known as Rhamnus frangula), growing in damp woodland beside the River Ray in Swindon.

Birds love the berries; these ones were mostly gone within a week. Sadly, the berries are mildly toxic to humans. Even so, they have sometimes been eaten, at least in Scandinavia. Alfa Olsson (Om allmogens kosthåll, 1958) reported the berries being mixed with butter and formed into cakes to dry by the fire; also people freezing a mash of the berries in reindeer milk.

[Alder Buckthorn (Sw: Brakved) grows right up to the far north of Sweden and Finland, in lowland areas. Despite this testament to hardiness it's apparently not native to Scotland.]

Both berries and bark have been used medicinally as a purgative. I've read that it's somewhat less violent in its effects than Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica).

Alder Buckthorn wood made the most even-burning charcoal, which made it in high demand for gunpowder. The local frequency of this species accounts for the gunpowder industry in Battle (E. Sussex), which operated for two centuries from 1676. Apart from charcoal the other ingredients were sulphur (imported from the  volcanic regions of Iceland or Italy) and saltpetre, whose crystals could be home produced in a dungpit. It was a dangerous business. Once  the three ingredients were combined, the mixture could explode, but further processing was required. Whenever possible the mixture was worked damp. Metal implements were banned from the works for fear of striking sparks. In spite of these precautions fatal accidents occurred regularly. Each powder mill consisted of multiple flimsy wooden sheds; that didn't save the men inside but it prevented others from being killed by flying stones or bricks. The finished product also required careful handling. Road transport was not favoured, so the gunpowder was loaded on barges, probably at Sedlescombe Bridge, and floated down the river Brede to Rye for distribution to all Europe.

[For much more about the Battle gunpowder industry, see George Kiloh's fascinating paper:

http://btckstorage.blob.core.windows.net/site15733/Web%20C/C7.1%20gunpowderv2%20COL00117.pdf

]

Frangula alnus leaves and fruit. Swindon, 28 September 2019.

Frangula alnus : not much fruit left. Swindon, 6 October 2019.