Blackthorn
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| Prunus spinosa L. |
The Blackthorn is a large shrub or a small tree of the genus Prunus, botanically Prunus spinosa. Its fruit is called the sloe, or in the Scots language, slaes.
The blackthorn is native to Europe, western Asia, and north Africa. The common name is derived from its dark bark and skin, and from the thorns or spines that it bears. In Ireland, a straight blackthorn stem is traditionally made into a walking stick named a Shillelagh. A Shillelagh (pronounced "shi-LAY-lee") is a wooden club or cudgel, typically made from a stout knotty stick with a large knob on the end
It is covered in white flowers in early spring, and is often the first flowering tree in the countryside in its native regions. It bears a fruit called the sloe, which is similar to a small damson or plum, suitable for preserves, but too tart to eat (unless deeply frozen, as it is practiced in Eastern Europe); in rural England 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 jams and if preserved in vinegar are similar in taste to Japanese umeboshi.
The blackthorn is extensively planted for hedging and for cover for game birds. Some forms are grown for ornament and flower. 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.
The expression "sloe-eyed" comes from the fruit, perhaps derived from the description of Meg Giry in Gaston Leroux's novel The Phantom of the Opera.
