Pistillate inflorescences are in axillary clusters of two to 15 flowers on current year's spurs. The pistillate calyx is similar to the staminate calyx. Petals are usually absent. Each drupe contains four seeds. The inner surface is prominently ridged, and the outer surface is grooved.
Lenticels occur as narrow vertical slits.
The bark of the trunk is slightly scaly and light to dark gray in color with horizontal lenticels. Common buckthorn is a native to Europe and is now naturalized in most of northeastern North America. It was probably introduced to North America in the 1800s for use as hedges, shelter belts, and wildlife habitat. The naturalized habitat includes pastures, fence rows, roadsides, and ravines. Common buckthorn invades logged or grazed woodlands, disturbed forest edges or openings, prairie thickets, and open oak woodlands.