Introduced and assessed as invasive in the lower 48 states
Ohio law lists it as an invasive plant: not native to Ohio, and causing, or likely to cause, economic, environmental or human health harm.
iNaturalist's volunteer curators list it as introduced in their Ohio checklist.
US-RIIS assesses a species as invasive when it causes, or is likely to cause, harm there, or is at least locally abundant and harmful ecologically, economically, or to health.
Season shown in 0 of Ohio's 88 counties. Explore Ohio
No result yet (51)
Recorded, too few records for a result (30)
Recorded, season not shown (7)
Season shown (0)
Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files, 1:500,000. Show as a table
Counties as a table
common buckthorn by Ohio county: records and mapped range
County
Records
Adams County
No qualifying records yet
Allen County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Ashland County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Ashtabula County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Athens County
No qualifying records yet
Auglaize County
No qualifying records yet
Belmont County
No qualifying records yet
Brown County
No qualifying records yet
Butler County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Carroll County
No qualifying records yet
Champaign County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Clark County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Clermont County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Clinton County
No qualifying records yet
Columbiana County
No qualifying records yet
Coshocton County
No qualifying records yet
Crawford County
No qualifying records yet
Cuyahoga County
59 · Recorded, season not shown
Darke County
No qualifying records yet
Defiance County
No qualifying records yet
Delaware County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Erie County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Fairfield County
No qualifying records yet
Fayette County
No qualifying records yet
Franklin County
58 · Recorded, season not shown
Fulton County
No qualifying records yet
Gallia County
No qualifying records yet
Geauga County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Greene County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Guernsey County
No qualifying records yet
Hamilton County
43 · Recorded, season not shown
Hancock County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Hardin County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Harrison County
No qualifying records yet
Henry County
No qualifying records yet
Highland County
No qualifying records yet
Hocking County
No qualifying records yet
Holmes County
No qualifying records yet
Huron County
No qualifying records yet
Jackson County
No qualifying records yet
Jefferson County
No qualifying records yet
Knox County
No qualifying records yet
Lake County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Lawrence County
No qualifying records yet
Licking County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Logan County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Lorain County
21 · Recorded, season not shown
Lucas County
24 · Recorded, season not shown
Madison County
No qualifying records yet
Mahoning County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Marion County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Medina County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Meigs County
No qualifying records yet
Mercer County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Miami County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Monroe County
No qualifying records yet
Montgomery County
27 · Recorded, season not shown
Morgan County
No qualifying records yet
Morrow County
No qualifying records yet
Muskingum County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Noble County
No qualifying records yet
Ottawa County
No qualifying records yet
Paulding County
No qualifying records yet
Perry County
No qualifying records yet
Pickaway County
No qualifying records yet
Pike County
No qualifying records yet
Portage County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Preble County
No qualifying records yet
Putnam County
No qualifying records yet
Richland County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Ross County
No qualifying records yet
Sandusky County
No qualifying records yet
Scioto County
No qualifying records yet
Seneca County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Shelby County
No qualifying records yet
Stark County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Summit County
67 · Recorded, season not shown
Trumbull County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Tuscarawas County
No qualifying records yet
Union County
No qualifying records yet
Van Wert County
No qualifying records yet
Vinton County
No qualifying records yet
Warren County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Washington County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Wayne County
No qualifying records yet
Williams County
No qualifying records yet
Wood County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Wyandot County
No qualifying records yet
No mapped range from the range source used, the USGS Gap Analysis Project, which maps land vertebrates only.
Season
When it is recorded
In Lorain County
Not enough evidence
The weeks are still too uncertain to show a season. Based on 21 records in 7 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, above the minimum of 20 records from 5 different years.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Show over the bars
Recording in Lorain County · records of all species each week, 26,475 in all
Records per week from 21 records in 7 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not a season or how common it is.
Show as a table
Records of common buckthorn in Lorain County each week, and records of all species
Week
Records of common buckthorn
Years recorded
Records of all species
Jan 4–10
1
1
193
Jan 11–17
0
0
115
Jan 18–24
1
1
75
Jan 25–31
0
0
59
Feb 1–7
0
0
101
Feb 8–14
0
0
99
Feb 15–21
0
0
84
Feb 22–28
0
0
49
Mar 1–7
0
0
114
Mar 8–14
0
0
103
Mar 15–21
0
0
258
Mar 22–28
0
0
139
Mar 29 – Apr 4
0
0
228
Apr 5–11
0
0
376
Apr 12–18
0
0
561
Apr 19–25
0
0
560
Apr 26 – May 2
0
0
1,122
May 3–9
1
1
824
May 10–16
0
0
793
May 17–23
3
1
901
May 24–30
1
1
886
May 31 – Jun 6
0
0
771
Jun 7–13
1
1
797
Jun 14–20
0
0
1,124
Jun 21–27
0
0
954
Jun 28 – Jul 4
0
0
770
Jul 5–11
0
0
973
Jul 12–18
0
0
957
Jul 19–25
1
1
1,240
Jul 26 – Aug 1
0
0
912
Aug 2–8
0
0
907
Aug 9–15
1
1
769
Aug 16–22
0
0
768
Aug 23–29
1
1
788
Aug 30 – Sep 5
1
1
959
Sep 6–12
1
1
907
Sep 13–19
1
1
817
Sep 20–26
2
2
745
Sep 27 – Oct 3
1
1
508
Oct 4–10
1
1
597
Oct 11–17
0
0
343
Oct 18–24
1
1
426
Oct 25–31
0
0
297
Nov 1–7
1
1
278
Nov 8–14
0
0
210
Nov 15–21
0
0
121
Nov 22–28
0
0
100
Nov 29 – Dec 5
0
0
118
Dec 6–12
1
1
60
Dec 13–19
0
0
224
Dec 20–26
0
0
187
Dec 27 – Jan 2
0
0
208
Reported in flower
Only 3 records here show flowers, too few to show a flowering season. One needs at least 20 records from 5 different years.
Reported in fruit
Only 4 records here show fruit, too few to show a fruiting season. One needs at least 20 records from 5 different years.
In Ohio
Early May to mid-November, middle week Sep 6–12
Middle week · Sep 6–12
This week · Nov 8–14
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Show over the bars
Recording in Ohio · records of all species each week, 1,691,199 in all
Records per week from 529 records in 10 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not how common it is. The grey bars show how many records of all species were made here each week, so you can see when recording itself was high or low; the season is not adjusted by them.
Recorded on 399 dates. Latest record: December 2025.
Show as a table
Records of common buckthorn in Ohio each week, and records of all species
Week
Records of common buckthorn
Years recorded
Records of all species
Jan 4–10
2
2
6,211
Jan 11–17
0
0
5,146
Jan 18–24
1
1
4,645
Jan 25–31
1
1
4,698
Feb 1–7
0
0
6,023
Feb 8–14
2
2
5,888
Feb 15–21
0
0
5,436
Feb 22–28
0
0
6,846
Mar 1–7
0
0
8,321
Mar 8–14
1
1
10,384
Mar 15–21
2
1
12,620
Mar 22–28
0
0
13,949
Mar 29 – Apr 4
0
0
19,661
Apr 5–11
0
0
26,860
Apr 12–18
2
2
39,925
Apr 19–25
2
2
41,623
Apr 26 – May 2
12
5
56,391
May 3–9
12
7
52,952
May 10–16
5
4
53,785
May 17–23
17
5
57,698
May 24–30
8
4
54,651
May 31 – Jun 6
10
4
53,099
Jun 7–13
11
7
53,700
Jun 14–20
12
6
56,625
Jun 21–27
10
5
55,361
Jun 28 – Jul 4
16
4
58,477
Jul 5–11
7
5
61,336
Jul 12–18
8
5
64,722
Jul 19–25
6
3
69,753
Jul 26 – Aug 1
9
4
59,416
Aug 2–8
13
6
59,712
Aug 9–15
13
5
55,994
Aug 16–22
23
7
54,328
Aug 23–29
19
7
51,772
Aug 30 – Sep 5
21
8
57,167
Sep 6–12
28
7
59,075
Sep 13–19
44
8
54,543
Sep 20–26
33
6
45,860
Sep 27 – Oct 3
32
7
43,180
Oct 4–10
26
8
37,841
Oct 11–17
22
8
30,824
Oct 18–24
18
7
21,156
Oct 25–31
13
5
19,021
Nov 1–7
18
8
14,172
Nov 8–14
18
6
12,621
Nov 15–21
10
5
7,965
Nov 22–28
7
7
8,136
Nov 29 – Dec 5
5
4
6,083
Dec 6–12
3
2
6,004
Dec 13–19
3
3
5,423
Dec 20–26
2
2
5,661
Dec 27 – Jan 2
2
1
8,459
Reported in flower
Only 11 records here show flowers, too few to show a flowering season. One needs at least 20 records from 5 different years.
Reported in fruit
No fruiting season shown here. The weeks are still too uncertain to show a season.
What these results show
These results show when people recorded a species, not when or where it occurs. Missing weeks and low counts do not mean absence or scarcity, and counts are not abundance. Contributed records reflect where, when and what people chose to observe.
Identification
How to identify it
Telling it apart
From what Ohio’s records show. Only what the records support is shown.
alder buckthornFrangula alnusOften confused in Ohio: 18 identifications in Ohio named one where the other was meant
Asian bittersweetCelastrus orbiculatus119 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
chokecherryPrunus virginiana93 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
black chokeberryAronia melanocarpa79 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
Common PrivetLigustrum vulgare54 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
From iNaturalist’s similar-species counts, refreshed monthly: confusions in Ohio first, then worldwide. Only species with an Ohio result are listed.
Land cover where it is recorded
Land cover
Its recordsAll Ohio records
Developed
71%49%
Forest
17%31%
Farmland
9%11%
Wetland
3%5%
Barren
0.3%0.6%
Open water
0.3%3%
From 357 records placed within 100 m, beside all Ohio records placed the same way. People record where they go, so this shows where records come from, not where the species lives. Land cover: USGS Annual NLCD, 2025 (opens in a new tab)
Sources
Where these results come from
Records from iNaturalist research-grade observations and expert-identified GBIF datasets, CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC. Sources
Seasons use the published method and its evidence thresholds. Methods
A spreadsheet (CSV) with a link to each record, on iNaturalist or GBIF. Records whose location was hidden by the observer or the source are counted but not linked.
