PLANT: Shrubs, ours weakly armed. STEMS: several to many, arching, lightly furrowed; branches opposite to subopposite, pubescent when young; bud scales absent. LEAVES: deciduous, opposite to subopposite, petiolate; blades ellipitic, oblong or obovate, pinnatelyveined, serrate to entire, tomentulose, becoming glabrous. INFLORESCENCE: of axillary clusters and terminal panicles. FLOWERS: perfect, sessile to nearly sessile, hypanthium hemispheric, shallow; sepals 5, triangular; petals 5; stamens 5; style 3-lobed; ovary superior. FRUITS: somewhat fleshy black drupes, spherical to obovoid; stones 3. - NOTES: More than 30 spp. worldwide (1 in AZ). (For French botanist, Augustin Sageret, 1763-1851). The fruits of many species are edible. In China the leaves of Sageretia theezans (L.) Brongn. are used as a tea substitute. REFERENCES: Kyle Christie, Michael Currie, Laura Smith Davis, Mar-Elise Hill, Suzanne Neal, and Tina Ayers, 2006 Vascular Plants of Arizona: Rhamnaceae. CANOTIA 2(1): 23-46.
