blackthorn

1 a thorny Eurasian bush with plumlike fruits [syn: sloe, Prunus spinosa]

2 erect and almost thornless American hawthorn with somewhat pear-shaped berries [syn: pear haw, pear hawthorn, Crataegus calpodendron, Crataegus tomentosa]

English

Noun

blackthorn

1. A large shrub or small tree, Prunus spinosa, that is native to Europe, western Asia, and north Africa. It has a dark bark and bears thorns.

Synonyms

• sloe

Translations

• Finnish: oratuomi
• German: Schlehdorn
• Russian: тёрн (t'orn) , терновник (t'ernóvnik)
• Swedish: slån

Blackthorn redirects here; for other uses, see Blackthorn (disambiguation)

Prunus spinosa (Blackthorn or Sloe) is a species of Prunus native to Europe, western Asia, and locally in northwest Africa.

It is a deciduous large shrub or small tree growing to 5 m tall, with blackish bark and dense, stiff, spiny branches. The leaves are oval, 2–4.5 cm long and 1.2–2 cm broad, with a serrated margin. The flowers are 1.5 cm diameter, with five slightly creamy-white petals; they are produced shortly before the leaves in early spring, and are hermaphroditic and insect-pollinated. The fruit, called a "sloe" (slae, in the Scots language) is a drupe 10–12 mm diameter, black with a pale purple-blue waxy bloom, ripening in autumn; it is thin-fleshed, with a very strongly astringent flavour when fresh.

Ecology

The foliage is sometimes eaten by the larvae of Lepidoptera including Emperor Moth, Common Emerald, November Moth, Pale November Moth, Mottled Pug, Green Pug, Brimstone Moth, Feathered Thorn, Brown-tail, Yellow-tail, Short-cloaked Moth, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Double Square-spot and the Black and Brown Hairstreaks.

Cultivation and uses

The fruit is similar to a small damson or plum, suitable for preserves, but rather tart and astringent for eating, unless deeply frozen, as is practiced in eastern Europe. In rural Britain so-called sloe gin is made from them, though this is not a true gin but a liqueur. In Navarra, Spain, patxaran is a popular liqueur made with sloes. Sloes can also be made into jam and, if preserved in vinegar, are similar in taste to Japanese umeboshi. It is extensively planted for hedging and for cover for game birds. The small thorns of the plant are relatively common causes of minor wounds in livestock, and these wounds often fester until the thorn is expelled or removed.

Straight blackthorn stems have traditionally been made into walking sticks and clubs (known in Ireland for example as a shillelagh).

The species is locally naturalised in New Zealand and eastern North America.

The expression "sloe-eyed" for a person with dark eyes comes from the fruit

References