Friday 17 May
Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)
Blackthorn fact file
- Description
- Biology
- Range
- Habitat
- Status
- Threats
- Conservation
- Find out more
- Glossary
- References
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Blackthorn description
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Phylum | Anthophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Rosales |
| Family | Rosaceae |
| Genus | Prunus (1) |
Blackthorn is a deciduous shrub that has long been popular in hedgerows because of its thorns (4). The beautiful white blossom tends to appear early in the year before the leaves, often in a very cold period following a false spring. These cold snaps are widely known as ‘blackthorn winters’ (4). Blackthorn is related to the plums. The bitter fruits it produces are known as sloes, and are used to make sloe gin (4). They are bluish-black in colour and often have a whitish bloom. The flesh is green and there is a single stone inside (2).
- Also known as
- blackhaw, buckthorn, scrogg, sloe, snag-bush.
- Deciduous
- A plant that sheds its leaves at the end of the growing season.
- National Biodiversity Network Species Dictionary (January 2004): http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nbn
- Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G., and Moore, D.M. (1987) Flora of the British Isles- 3rd Edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
- Preston, C.D., Pearman, D.A. and Dines, T.D. (2002) New Atlas of the British and Irish Flora. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
- Mabey, R. (1996) Flora Britannica. Sinclair-Stevenson, London.
- Plants for a Future (January 2004): http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Prunus+spinosa
- Grigson, G. (1996) The Englishmans Flora. Helicon Publishing Ltd, Oxford.
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Blackthorn biology
This deciduous shrub flowers from late February to early March to April (5).The flowers are pollinated by a range of insects (2).
In addition to flavouring gin, sloes are used in jellies, conserves and syrups and were made to make sloe wine, an alternative to port (5) (4). They have also been put to various uses in folk-medicine (6). The flowers are edible and the leaves have been dried and used as a substitute for tea (6). Furthermore, dyes have been obtained form the fruits, leaves and bark (5). The wood of blackthorn is extremely hard and is highly valued for making walking sticks as it shows interesting patterns and knot-holes (4).
TopBlackthorn range
Widespread in Britain southwards of Sutherland and Caithness and reaching altitudes of up to 415m in Yorkshire (2). Elsewhere, this shrub is found in Europe with the exceptions of the far north and north-east, and extends as far east as Iran. It also occurs in south-western Siberia (2).
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Species with a similar range
|
You can view distribution information for this species at the National Biodiversity Network Gateway. |
Blackthorn habitat
Typical habitats include hedgerows, woodlands, scrub, cliff slopes and screes. On shingle beaches a prostrate form of blackthorn may occur (3). This shrub can tolerate a wide range of soil types, but cannot survive in deep shade (2).
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Species found in a similar habitat
Blackthorn status
Not threatened (3).
TopBlackthorn threats
This shrub is not threatened.
TopBlackthorn conservation
Conservation action is not required for this species at present.
|
|
There may be further information about this species available via the National Biodiversity Network Gateway. |
Find out more
For more on British native plants and for details of how to get involved in plant conservation visit the website of Plantlife, the wild plant charity:
www.plantlife.org.uk
Authentication
This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact: arkive@wildscreen.org.ukTopGlossary
References
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Blackthorn thicket in blossom
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