blackthorn

prunus spinosa

• A deciduous, thorny shrub
   
• Forms dense thickets by sending up shoots (suckering)
   
• Often found in hedges
   
• Can form small trees up to 10m tall
   
• Smooth, bright bark

 
Cascades of white flowers which emerge before the leaves and help to distinguish it from hawthorn
 
Can be confused with the cherry-plum – but only the blackthorn has thorns
 
The oval blue-black fruits (“sloes”) have a powdery surface bloom and an extremely bitter taste

Where found

Common in woodland, scrub and hedgerows
 

When to look for

• Flowering
  March-April
   
• Leaves falling
  November
   
• Ripe fruit
  October
   

Did you know?

This is the ancestor of our cultivated plums