Even on wind-exposed sites it defies the natural forces. So it is not surprising that it was used as pioneer wood for stabilizing embankments and dry slopes and for landscaping slag heaps and wasteland, as well as for wind and snow screens.īlackthorn is known for its astringent, mildly cleansing and soothing action. It spreads through seed dispersal by mammals and birds and by production of root suckers. The light-loving blackthorn is extremely resistant to pests and regenerates quickly after cutting. Together with other members of the rose family, it often forms impenetrable thorny thickets. The thorns, incidentally, are transformed lateral branchlets.īlackthorn likes sunny hills and dry, sparse deciduous woods with chalky, deep soil. They are 1/3 (1 cm) in diameter, contain a stone and are only edible after the frost. In May, after the flowers, the oval, tooth-edged leaves appear, and in late summer the bluish-black plum-like fruits which, have a whitish bloom and astringent green flesh. They are usually solitary, on short stems, but cover the entire length of the branches so densely that the whole shrub is shrouded in white. The small white scented flowers appear before the leaves. The dense, spreading, many-branched thorny shrub, which can reach a height of up to 9 feet (3 meters), flowers from March to April. Thanks to its hardiness it has become widespread and is now found from southern Sweden to the Ural mountains, and in the moderate climate zones of Southwest Asia, North Africa and North America.įlavonoid glycosides, coumarin derivatives, tannins and bitter substances, acids, vitamin C, traces of amygdalin (cyanogenic glycoside) Synonyms: Sloe, Sloe Berry Scientific Name: Prunus spinosaīlackthorn was originally a native of central Europe.
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