The petals may be white, yellowish, greenish, pink or blue, and are small and inconspicuous in most genera, though in some (e.g. Ceanothus) the dense clusters of flowers are conspicuous.

[6] Economic uses of the Rhamnaceae are chiefly as ornamental plants and as the source of many brilliant green and yellow dyes.

The wood of Rhamnus was also the most favoured species to make charcoal for use in gunpowder before the development of modern propellants.

Modern molecular phylogenetics recommend the following clade-based classification of Rhamnaceae:[10] Elaeagnaceae (outgroup) Ventilago Bathiorhamnus Ampelozizyphus Doerpfeldia Maesopsis Scutia Rhamnus Frangula Sageretia Berchemia Rhamnidium Rhamnella Reynosia Krugiodendron Karwinskia Condalia Schistocarpeia Hovenia Ziziphus Paliurus Gouania Helinus Pleuranthodes Crumenaria Reissekia Lasiodiscus Colubrina Emmenosperma Noltea Trichocephalus Nesiota Phylica Granitites Alphitonia Adolphia Trevoa Discaria Kentrothamnus Colletia Retanilla Ceanothus Siegfriedia Cryptandra Stenanthemum Trymalium Pomaderris Spyridium The fossil record of the family extends back to the Late Cretaceous, with records from Colombia[11] and Mexico.

[12] Remains from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber of Myanmar have been suggested to belong to this family by some authors[13][14], but this has been doubted by others.